Photo: LoL Esports
When we got wind of the information, we almost choked… At first, we even said to ourselves that the hour was late and that we must have fallen asleep without realizing it. account. But after having pinched himself (several times) and above all having reread the report of Dexerto again and again, the obvious could no longer be denied. According to media sources, a large team of LCS (North America) would have tried to join the LEC (Europe). This kind of transfer between regions is extremely rare, especially when you have a big track record and a long story to tell.
The deal could have taken place within the framework of the sale of the slot of Misfits Gaming. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the operation did not take place and in the end Team Heretics pocketed the bet. But the fact that an NA franchise is trying to get closer to Europe remains a small event that deserves to be highlighted.
The ogre in question: TSM
According to Richard Lewis, TSM reportedly came to the news during Misfits Gaming’s LEC slot auction. It is not known if the talks went very far and if the North American organization posed a threat to the takeover by Team Heretics. But the very fact of positioning oneself already means a lot. We are still talking about a structure that has won the LCS many times and has represented the league in many international competitions (Worlds, MSI, IEM…). Many talented players have passed through this team, whether NA (Doublelift, Wildturtle, Hauntzer, Darius…) or imported (Bjergsen, Huni, Lustboy, Svenskeren…).
What is very interesting is that several reasons are put forward:
- LCS are losing momentum and ROI seems to be shrinking
- TSM reportedly trying to cut costs in esports business, which takes a lot of money
For the moment, TSM is still active on League of Legends and retains its place in the LCS. But the Karmine Corp. must be wary… already that between Europeans the fight is fierce to integrate the LEC, if it is also necessary to do with competition from North America.