Nick Allen may be best known for handing out fines, but his actual title is League Operations Manager. This means he's worked extensively on the eSports sides of things, and helping League of Legends grow into the huge game it is today. Allen shared with us the reasons behind his decision, and what's next for him: 

Whoa, I can't believe I'm writing this: I have decided to move on from Riot Games. I love my role in the LCS, but it’s time for me to move back to Northern California to be closer to family.

It's been a wild ride. I've put my heart and soul into League of Legends esports at Riot for a little more than 2 years, and I feel good knowing that I leave behind a team whose #1 goal is to make players and fans happy. I've learned a ton of things during my time at here. Among them: 

- Operating a league, competitive rulings, and setting precedent are all challenging concepts--especially in the face of rapid growth.

- Esports is continuing to grow at an extremely rapid pace, and no one is totally sure where it’s going. But, I have a feeling one day esports will be as culturally relevant as traditional sports.

- Rioters can be just as creative as coming up with good "Nick Allen fine" jokes as you guys are.

Although I’ve decided to leave Riot, my esports journey continues as I've taken an esports partnerships role at Twitch which I am extremely excited about. I'll still be around, and I'm looking forward to enjoying League of Legends esports as a fan.

Keep being passionate, keep giving your feedback, and keep pushing the esports industry to be the very best it can be. Its nothing without you.

Sincerely,
Nick Allen

Allen has done great work in his time with Riot Games, and they let the fans know how much they'll miss him (and his beard.) They left us with this closing statement:

Esports and the LCS has grown tremendously these past few years, and it’s been an incredible journey that we’ve been honored to share with Nick. While it’s sad to see him go, we’ll remember his contributions to building the sport we love and are looking forward to seeing what he can do in the future. We know Nick will be just… fine.