Riot to implement LAN mode for future League of Legends Tournaments; Mac version also in development

In a move that surprised many, Riot today announced that they were working on a LAN mode for League of Legends. This comes after massive network outages at Day Three of the League of Legends Season 2 playoffs, that the latter half of was delayed by two days.

Of course, a LAN feature for eSports titles is an often requested feature. Not only does it prevent the sort of issues caused by internet outages, it also means a lagfree environment for competitors. The reaction by Riot was swift, decisive, and I applaud them for listening to their fans and competitive community, proving that they are indeed listening.

Now if only Blizzard would listen to the StarCraft II community on this – one has to wonder how they've reacted to this news. Will they risk losing additional eSports market share by not countering with their own announcement? Or are they now scrambling to get something together? Because something tells me the "Restart from Replay" feature in the upcoming Heart of the Swarm will not be enough for players.

Also announced was a Mac version of League of Legends, which is great for those of you with Apple products. More on this as it develops.

UPDATE: Riot will be using LAN mode this weekend for S2 Finals!

Dustin Steiner is GameZone's eSports Editor! Follow him on Twitter @GZSteiner and check out Video Gaming Hard Corps, where he is a local tournament organizer for the S. FL. Fighting Game Community.