This underrated LCS Summer Split change should massively improve the viewer experience

The LCS released an announcement video laying out some massive changes for the 2024 Summer Split, including the return of the best-of-three series, a gauntlet-style lower bracket for playoffs, and an underrated addition to the viewing experience.

The LCS commissioner Mark ‘MarkZ’ Zimmerman laid out the changes coming to the league on June 3, saying they are in line with their “fan first” approach for 2024.

MarkZ emphasized that these changes are in their testing phase, as Riot looks to gather more data on viewership and the fan experience before making any drastic changes for 2025 or beyond.

But arguably the most interesting change, and one that was not emphasized all that much in the announcement, is the implementation of a Twitch extension on the LCS main channel.

The Twitch extension is announced at the 3:44 mark in the video shown above.

“During gameplay, viewers can click around and pull up detailed build and game information live as it is happening. This is especially exciting for us on live patch, granting fans even more knowledge to use immediately in their own games,” MarkZ said.

Twitch extensions are nothing new in esports. Dota 2 has a similar extension for streamers and other streaming platforms in China have comparable tools.

However, its implementation in the LCS, which is played on the live League of Legends patch, should give casual players an incentive to watch after a new update drops to see how the pros play around new items, champions, or systems.

While this change has been marketed toward hardcore LCS fans or League players, people just getting started could watch the league to learn how the game works and what items are best.

LCS fans seem excited about the changes all around, but this extension should pique their interest more than the return of the best-of-three series, or yet another format for playoffs.