Riot Games has launched Liga Republika, an evolution of the Empyrean Cup 2023, with a similar P1 million prize pool but an expanded 384-team field.
Last November, the Empyrean Cup attracted 256 teams, signaling the return of the League of Legends competitive scene in the Philippines.
The launching of Liga Republika is an effort by Riot Games Philippines to further support the growing esports scene in the country, according to Country Manager Joel Guzman.
“Liga Republika reinforces our commitment to the Philippine esports and gaming community.
“Fueled by the success of last year’s Empyrean Cup in reigniting the League of Legends community in the country, rebranding the league to Liga Republika reinforces and sustains the momentum we gained and elevates the esports scene in the Philippines through a healthier and more competitive league,” said Guzman.
Liga Republika 2024 will begin this May with a Kickoff Invitational featuring the top eight teams from the 2023 Empyrean Cup, where the top four will qualify for the group stage in August.
In June, the tournament will open its registration to the public. More than 300 teams will compete in the open qualifiers round slated from July to August, vying for one of the twelve group slots.
From the invitational round and open qualifiers, a total of 16 teams will advance to the group stage scheduled in August, with the playoffs scheduled for the month of September.
Liga Republika’s grand finale will take place offline at a LAN event where the top eight teams will compete in front of a live audience for the title of champion and the lion’s share of the million-peso prize pool.
