Riot Games Korea confirms it has absorbed LCK in new financial statement

Riot Games Korea has released its 2025 financial statement, and with it confirmed the full absorption of League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), ending the league’s existence as a separate legal entity and folding its finances directly into the publisher’s books.

The merger, which was officially completed on October 31, 2025, formally dissolved LCK LLC, the wholly owned subsidiary that had independently operated as Korea’s premier League of Legends competition since franchising began.

According to reports in Inven, Riot Games said the move was aimed at “improving managerial efficiency,” but the real reason likely lies in the writing-off of millions of dollars of debts and deficits.

Riot Games Korea confirms it absorbed the LCK in 2025 in new profit-filled financial statement

As mentioned, with the acquisitions, years of LCK losses, estimated at roughly $34 million in accumulated deficits and costs, were effectively written off. Meanwhile the league’s revenues disappeared quietly into Riot Games Korea’s accounts, something the organization has done for years, but unobfuscated the process in 2025.

The result: A hugely increased financial performance for Riot Games Korea. In documents shared with through a limited release, the company reported approximately $331 million in revenue, a rise of over 10% year over year.

Meanwhile operating profit surged approx. 117% to almost $70 million, with net income climbed to $66 million.

This increased profit and income was attributed to greater revenue from League of Legends, VALORANT, and Wild Rift in 2025, along a slight reduction in operating costs.

That revenue came primarily from ‘digital content’, skins and virtual item sales climbing to over $309 million, nearly 90% of total revenue of Riot Games Korea.

Overall, this paints a picture of a financially booming situation in Korea and the LCK for Riot Games.

With the LCK now fully embedded inside Riot Games Korea, one of esports’ most popular leagues has vanished as an independent financial entity, while its parent company posts one of its strongest years on record.

The move also perhaps diminishes one of Riot Games oldest and most notorious claims, that it makes no money from esports.