480,000 peak viewers mark a defining moment for the region. The LCP's future is looking bright.
Just under a year since its formation, the League of Legends Championship Pacific (LCP) has reached a landmark milestone: a peak viewership of over 480,000; the highest for a single regional LoL event in APAC region to date, excluding international tournaments.
Coming off the heels of a standout split and intense regional rivalries, LCP's rise is proving that the league is no longer just a new face on the scene, but one that’s already redefining what the region’s LoL esports scene can be.
GosuGamers spoke with Piotr Pilich, Head of Product Esports for LCP, following the record-setting split. Pilich described the milestone as more than just a statistic: it was a culmination of effort across the ecosystem.
“It’s not everything…we don’t just kind of do it for the views only, but definitely, this has been the sort of highest peak we’ve seen for a single LoL event in our region,” he said. “For our team, for our partners, for the pro teams playing as well, this was really huge.”
As a newly formed league, the LCP was built with an ambitious promise: unify the Pacific while preserving its deep-rooted diversity. That gamble seems to be paying off, not just in numbers, but in heart.
Rivalries, rookies, and a rising tide
According to Pilich, much of this split’s success came from a confluence of elements—the most visible being the blockbuster match between 
GAM Esports and 
CTBC Flying Oyster (CFO). With CFO riding the momentum of an impressive MSI run, and GAM bringing their ever-loyal fanbase into the mix, the regular season clash between the two powerhouses felt more like a global playoff.
“It really shows that there’s just a lot of promise in the teams, the players, and the league itself,” Pilich added.
Key rookie performances, like 
hongQ’s explosive rise, added a fresh layer of excitement. But beyond talent, the LCP’s new format is also facilitating cross-regional matchups that would previously only have occurred on international stages, bringing that intensity to a weekly cadence.
“Now you get it week in, week out,” he explained. “That certainly contributes to building this.”
The league also widened its reach through co-streamers and platforms like TikTok, which Pilich said has “been popping up for us” despite LCP only recently beginning to broadcast there. Collaborations with content creators and regional influencers have helped foster a pan-Pacific fandom that feels both intimate and expansive.
Identity through diversity
Building a single league across markets as distinct as Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and beyond was never going to be simple. But for the LCP, diversity is not always a hurdle, but it’s the core of its identity.
“It is very challenging... but we still strongly believe in that,” Pilich told GosuGamers. “Each [region] brings their unique flavour and quirk to our general fandom…and we absolutely love that.”
From chicken cutlet giveaways in Taiwan to VTuber-led watch parties in Japan and Vietnamese soap-opera memes, the league has inspired some of the most colourful, culturally distinct fan responses in global esports today. Pilich sees this as not only delightful but integral to LCP’s ethos.
Pilich said that while he doesn’t always understand everything fans post, “a lot of it is hilarious.” He shared how entertaining it’s been to see the wide variety in how fans across regions celebrate their favourite teams, players, wins, and losses.
“When we released the Tok Tien video for the LCP launch and the in-game season for League of Legends,” he said, “seeing what Vietnamese fans mashed it up with, like soap operas and K-pop, it was absolutely hilarious.”
On top of that, an X post shared earlier this month showed how there was a Taiwanese campaign to give chicken cutlets away during MSI.
“As long as the CTBC Flying Oyster team, in the entire schedule of the League of Legends 2025 MSI Mid-Season Invitational: Each time you kill an enemy = 10 chicken cutlets. Each victory (a small score in BO5 counts as a victory) = 100 chicken cutlets will be distributed,” a machine translation of the X post read.
Pilich also highlighted how fans in Japan embraced the event in their own way, with VTubers hosting VR chat rooms to watch LCP or LJL matches together, fully leaning into their favourite teams like GAM.
“All of the different kinds of regions, countries, cities, cultures in our region each brings their unique flavour and quirk to our general fandom,” he added. “And we absolutely love that.”
Growth on and off the Rift
Behind the scenes, the split finale was as much a technical success story as it was a competitive one. Pilich shared how the Mid-Season finals weekend was one of the smoothest runs they've had since this year. "One other thing that I kind of want to maybe pull out and brag a little bit on behalf of my team, right, is it’s been probably the smoothest weekend, that final weekend, right, that we’ve had so far since starting LCP," he shared. “We’ve had like sub-five minutes of delay over the entire weekend,” Pilich said. “Most of it didn’t even make it to broadcast,” he added.
That smooth execution, paired with growing storylines and broadcast quality, helped maintain viewer momentum and improve the spectator experience, something Pilich says the team takes pride in.
On top of that, competitively, teams like CFO and GAM are beginning to shift perceptions internationally. Their performances at MSI and in regional play have raised eyebrows and blood pressures, and LCP’s structure is helping accelerate that rise.
At the the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational, both teams turned heads more than once, as they took on the Powerhouses of LoL Esports. Although GAM Esports weren’t able to qualify for the Playoffs, they pushed their opponents to the edge, winning over 
FURIA Esports 3-2, and then making LEC Powerhouse 
G2 Esports sweat in the qualifier, but eventually bowing out, 2-3.
CFO, was no slouch in the Playoffs, stretching 
T1 until the very last minute during the first round of the Upper Bracket. And although the 2024 World Champions eventually won 3-2, CFO showed that they can take on the strongest teams. They then eliminated the LEC Champions 
Movistar KOI 3-1 in the Lower Bracket, but eventually bowed out to Anyone’s Legend 3-1 in Round 2 of the Lower Bracket. In each show, CFO showed that the LCP wouldn’t to go down without a fight, earning them a 5th-6th place finish at the second most prestigious LoL Esports tournament of the year.
“We’re not even done with year one,” Pilich noted, “and the storylines around LCP teams are already changing from ‘they’re the underdogs’ to ‘we expect great things.’”
Da Nang awaits
With LCP’s final split kicking off on 26 July, fans can expect more than just higher stakes. A new group-stage format will divide top contenders from mid-season and bottom-four teams into separate pools, ensuring that every week matters.
“There’s going to be a lot of stakes all the way throughout,” Pilich said, highlighting the push toward Worlds qualification.
The league’s first-ever Roadshow Final is scheduled for 20–21 September in Da Nang, Vietnam, where the new LCP trophy will be lifted for the very first time.
“It looks gorgeous. I can’t wait to show it to fans and for our season champions to lift it in Da Nang,” Piotr expressed.
The event will mark a milestone not only in the league's calendar but in its identity, bringing players and fans together in person in one of the region’s most vibrant cities.
For those tuning in for the first time, Pilich offered one last invitation: “If you’ve seen CFO or GAM at international events, come see them in their natural habitat,” he said. “This is a good moment to be here. The first Roadshow. The first LCP trophy. That’s forever going to be the first one.”
