Riot Games reveals new League of Legends challenger series

Riot Games has announced an all-new challenger competition for League of Legends. Through a partnership with Coke Zero, the event will run in tandem with the League Championship Series (LCS) when it begins again in 2014.

"It's definitely important to foster competitive play at all levels. The Challenger league is a big step in the right direction," Riot Games head of eSports Dustin Beck said.

"It'll provide exposure to the next generation of pro-level teams and players, and give them crucial event experience and stability," he added. "Coke's sponsorship is unique--they recognized the importance of this aspirational level, they're as excited about it as we are."

According to the official announcement, the new challenger series will support rising teams that are hoping to gain entry into the LCS in North America or Europe. Weekly matchups will be broadcast live on lolesports.com.

Top-ranked teams from the Ranked 5s Challenger Tier will play against each other in the challenger series. When the series comes to a close, the highest placed teams will play in a championship tournament for a chance to go to the LCS.