ESEA have announced an important change to the rules for the ESEA League's Invite division: the roster lock will no longer apply, effective immediately.

The rule change means that Invite teams are now free to edit their line-ups at any stage during a season, up to a maximum of four times, without risking penalties or disqualification, provided that "no other roster restrictions prevent them from doing so."

The policy update, which has received a mixed response, represents a clear about-face for ESEA, given the way that they vehemently defended the rule after it forced Titan to exit season 16 prematurely.

In the wake of the French team's departure, the organisation had this to say about the rule:

"It is our position that the roster lock helps ensure that the players competing all season long to qualify for the LAN Playoffs are the same players that have the chance to compete for over $40,000. The policy protects players and organizations from screwing over one another and protects other teams from having ringers unjustly step in at the last minute."

The abolition of the rule comes in time for the start of season 17, which kicked off last Sunday. The change will only affect the Invite division, however, with the roster lock still being enforced for lower division teams, once the cut-off date has lapsed.

HLTV.org has full coverage of ESEA League season 17, so stay tuned for all further updates.