The remaining teams at Worlds 2023 are reportedly forced to go without proper internet, and it’s making practice impossible before the Knockout Stage.
Eight of the world’s best League of Legends teams remain in the race for the Summoner’s Cup. All of the competitors have made the trip to Busan, South Korea where the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played. This relocation has not been as smooth as the teams expected, however. On X, T1 general manager Jeong “Becker” Hoi-yoon stated the team has not been able to play scrims and solo queue for two days due to internet issues.
The manager stated that he requested a solution, but Riot Games has yet to address it. Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, the mid-laner for Gen.G’s League of Legends team, reposted Becker’s statement without any additional comment. It is not the first time during Worlds 2023 that teams face some kind of logistical challenge.
T1, Fnatic discuss practice issues at Worlds 2023
Worlds 2023 has had issues regarding practice conditions for teams before both the Swiss Stage and Knockout Stage.
In an interview shared on the Fnatic app, head coach Tomáš “Nightshare” Kněžínek shared that “nothing was working” at the Riot Games hotel. According to the coach, the team had no working internet connection or computers that were up to par. As a result, Fnatic could not participate in scrims ahead of its match against LNG Esports in the opening round.
Teams arrived at the hotel designated by Riot Games on October 15, four days before the start of the Swiss Stage. This means that some teams may have had better practice conditions than others.
It is not the first time Riot Games has had issues in Busan. In 2022 during the Mid-Season Invitational, there were several reports of internet problems. One of the most notable incidents was the first three games played by Chinese team RNG. Due to travel restrictions, RNG attended the event remotely which prompted all matches to be played at 35 ms. RNG experienced ping disparity and was forced to replay its first three matches. In the end, RNG won the MSI title.
The repeated issues in Busan have raised questions about Riot Games Korea’s ability to organize events at the highest standard. The lack of practice directly affects the competitive integrity of the event and could prompt teams to present formal complaints. Despite these issues, Worlds 2023 has enjoyed particularly strong viewership.
Worlds 2023 resumes on November 2 with the match between NRG and Weibo Gaming.
