The global video game industry continues to see tremendous growth, with 2023 revenues projected to reach CA$487 billion.
Esports continue to grow just as quickly.
In our report, Legal state of play in the video games industry, we noted that in 2021 an estimated 240 million people watched at least one esports event and that the esports market alone was estimated to be worth CA$1.6 billion.
The industry’s growth has been marked by an increase in high-profile legal claims, including two matters arising earlier this spring concerning employment issues, both of which we highlight below. We expect this trend to continue, with developers, gaming companies, and esports organizations and teams facing increasing employment- and competition-related disputes, complaints, and potential litigation.
Riot Games and LCSPA
In June 2023, the League Champion Series Players Association (the North American League of Legend players’ union), announced it had reached an agreement with Riot Games regarding its threatened walkout of the 2023 Summer Split. The Summer Split is the final tournament in the season before the League Championship Series playoffs, with the winners qualifying for the World Championship tournament. This is not the first time Riot Games and the LCSPA have had a conflict: in March 2020, the LCSPA and Riot Games disagreed publicly on how to proceed with the 2020 Spring Split in light of the COVID pandemic.
Before reaching an agreement with Riot, the LCSPA had threatened to walk...
Actor Kim Soo-hyun's legal team vowed to file a 30 billion won ($19.9 million) civil suit against the head of far-right YouTuber Kim Se-eui for damages caused by allegedly fabricated claims about ...