Riot threatens to cancel the entire League of Legends summer season in North America if a deal with players isn’t made

Riot Games has delayed the start of the League Championship Series summer season by two weeks in order to enable negotiation with the LCS Players Association over recent rule changes. But it has also threatened to cancel the entire season completely if an agreement can’t be reached within that timeframe.

The labor unrest began earlier this month after Riot announced rule changes that resulted in most teams in the LCS—the top-tier League of Legends pro league in North America—dropping their lower-tier North American Challenger League rosters, putting as many as 70 players, coaches, and managers out of work. In response, the Players Association voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of a walkout, although not immediately: Instead, it expressed hope that Riot would avert the strike “by joining us in the coming days to have open and transparent discussions.”