I am thrilled to share that I have joined Riot Games as the Head of North American League of Legends Esports and the LCS Commissioner. This opportunity couldn’t be more exciting for me. When considering my next move, I knew I wanted to be somewhere where I could make a real impact, and where my passion for community and players could be fueled. Throughout the last 16 years of my game development and esports career, I have admired Riot for their dedication to players and esports.
And so, a new exciting chapter begins for me here at the LCS.
It would be easy to be intimidated by the challenge of leading the LCS product with its decade-plus history, passionate fans, engaged owners, and high expectations for North America – but instead I feel genuinely excited to listen and learn and take time to understand what this ecosystem needs and wants. Chris Greeley (who is now leading North America and OCE esports broadly as Riot evolves into a multi-esports organization) will be working closely with me over the coming months to transition the role of Commissioner throughout the 2022 Spring Split in time for the Summer Split. Over the next few weeks and months, the LCS team and I will be listening to players, teams, and the community to continue to execute the current product strategy and build a vision for the future of LCS.
I encourage all of you to share your feedback, passion, and voice with us. I want to build a league that celebrates and supports the skill of our players and teams. I believe a strong pipeline and amateur ecosystem is critical to the development of North America. [Champions Queue][1] is a great start to this strategy, and I look forward to continuing to push what is needed for pipeline development, quality practice/scrim opportunities, and pro player support. I also believe in empowering our team to continue to raise the bar for broadcast and live events, and listen to community feedback around the fun, memes, and personality that we all want to see reflected in the LCS. Additionally, diversity and innovation will be important initiatives to explore as part of our strategy. I am encouraged by CEO Nicolo Laurent’s [5 year vision][2] for Riot Games, and with Esports now as one of our three pillars along with Games and Entertainment, I know the company’s commitment and investment in competition and experiences is stronger than ever.
Anyone who has worked with me on Gears of War, Overwatch League, or Call of Duty League will tell you that I am always eager to get in the trenches and want to know our players and fans on an authentic level. Community is very important to me. And so, thank you for taking the time to read this initial blog. I hope to earn a place in this community and it would be an honor to cheer on the LCS alongside all of you. –JF
[1]: https://championsqueue.lolesports.com/en-us/
[2]: https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/calling-the-shot-the-next-five-years-at-riot-games
**About Jackie Felling**
*Jackie has spent the last 16 years working in the video game and esports industries as a game producer and global esports head on Gears of War, product lead on Overwatch League, and most recently the Director of Product on Call of Duty League at Activision Blizzard. Jackie originally hails from Canada bringing her love of maple syrup, snowboarding, and hockey to the sunny coast of southern California where she also surfs, golfs, reads, and spends way too much time playing Riot’s games (P.S. Rakan main, Sage/Skye main). She can be found on Twitter at [JackFellingX][1].*
[1]: https://twitter.com/JackFellingX
