Riot Games removed veteran pro player Bwipo from this year’s League of Legends Worlds music video following pushback over comments he made about women competing in esports. The cut forced a re-edit and delayed the video’s release.
Gabriël “Bwipo” Rau made remarks on stream about women in competitive play that drew criticism across social media. The former Fnatic and Team Liquid player has been a fixture in Riot’s promotional content for years. His removal from the prestigious annual Worlds anthem video represents an unusual post-production intervention.
G2 Hel player Caltys responded by arguing that Riot should use the moment differently. Instead of scrapping finished work as symbolic punishment, she said the company should promote the women’s scene. Her point: the EMEA League of Legends Game Changers tournament is running right now, and most fans don’t even know it exists.
She’s not wrong. Game Changers EMEA has been plagued by visibility problems since it started. Group stage matches streamed on the EUniverse channel rather than an official Riot hub. Playoff broadcast details remain unclear. The tournament doesn’t appear prominently on lolesports.com, forcing viewers to hunt for matches on team channels like G2’s.
The broadcast itself has drawn criticism. Groups ran as best-of-one single round-robin, which players and viewers described as feeling low-stakes. Technical issues hit the EUniverse stream. Graphics and overlays looked basic compared to standard League broadcasts. Some fans claim parts of the coverage were organized by unpaid community volunteers on short notice because no official broadcast existed.
Scheduling creates another obstacle. Game Changers EMEA runs opposite more popular events like the Asia Invitational and EMEA Masters. That overlap splits the audience and buries the women’s tournament beneath larger competitions. Several viewers suggested running Game Changers in November after Worlds, when the competitive calendar goes quiet for two months.
The contrast with Valorant‘s Game Changers is stark. Riot’s tactical shooter has run a women’s circuit since 2021 with global finals, consistent official broadcasts, and clear integration into the esports calendar. That model has built a dedicated audience. League’s version launched later and hasn’t replicated the same production standards or promotional push.
Teams competing in League Game Changers EMEA include G2 Hel, SK Avarosa, and Vitality Rising Bees. The circuit sits below the regional leagues and aims to develop talent. But development requires visibility, which the current setup fails to provide.
The promotional gap
Caltys’ argument highlights a straightforward problem. Riot responded to controversy by cutting Bwipo from a high-profile music video. But the women’s tournament happening right now struggles to reach viewers who might actually want to watch it. That disconnect suggests the company’s priorities lean toward damage control over sustained investment in women’s esports.
The League Game Changers circuit will need structural changes to succeed. Dedicated broadcast infrastructure, prominent placement on official platforms, and schedule windows that don’t compete with Tier 1 events represent basic requirements. Until those pieces fall into place, the women’s scene remains an afterthought rather than a priority.
