Riot Games Adds Second Stage to Berlin Studios, Preventing VCT and LEC Clashes
Riot Games has expanded its Berlin esports facilities with the addition of a second stage, branded the ‘Studio Stage’, at the Riot Games Arena. The new stage operates alongside the existing ‘Arena Stage’ to enable concurrent operations of two major European esports leagues—the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA and the League of Legends European Championship (LEC).
The expansion addresses scheduling pressures created by the growing size of VCT EMEA, which will feature 16 teams in Stage 2 following the integration of four teams from the Valorant Challenger League (VCL) tier-2 circuit. This significant increase in participating teams creates substantial scheduling demands that would be difficult to accommodate in a single-stage configuration.
By running both leagues simultaneously across separate stages within the same venue, Riot Games can optimize facility usage while accommodating the expanded competitive calendar. The dual-stage configuration represents a practical infrastructure solution to scale esports operations without requiring additional venue partnerships or the introduction of scheduling conflicts that could impact broadcast reach or team logistics.