Image credit: LoL Esports/Flickr
A League of Legends pro team that has played since 2011 will reportedly not participate in the coming competitive season.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jacob Wolf, Riot Games has declined Team Dignitas’ application to compete in the 2018 North American League of Legends Championship Series.
The new North American LCS will host 10 franchised teams, at a buy-in of $US10 ($13) million.
Dignitas’ rejection means the team will lose its spot, and have to terminate or sell any player contracts extending past the Nov. 21 transfer period opening date.
According to ESPN, Dignitas will be put in a compensation pool for an exit fee alongside other current LCS teams that don’t make the cut, made up of the extra fee that new incoming owners like Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and son Kirk will pay.
Dignitas will receive a minimum of six shares of the pool, three for each split since the team’s ownership change in 2016, according to the report.
The news came as a shock to Team Dignitas coach Brandon “Saintvicious” DiMarco:
Welp if that article is true guess I’m LFT. Pretty surprised.
— saintvicious (@LolStvicious) October 14, 2017
they just told owners last night so not surprised wouldnt be told yet
— saintvicious (@LolStvicious) October 14, 2017
Team Dignitas has been tied with the Philadelphia 76ers since the NBA organisation purchased controlling stakes in the team in 2016. Dignitas was also a founding team of the NA LCS since its inception in 2013, and by all accounts, had a solid showing in the 2017 season, taking 4th in the summer playoffs and 5th-6th in the spring.
As one of the most established names in North American League of Legends, backed by a professional basketball association and certainly having sufficient talent to compete, it’s unclear what quality Riot Games determined Dignitas was lacking to make this decision.
Comments
2 responses to “Report: Riot Games Denies Dignitas’ Application For 2018 North American LCS”
This is one of the big reasons I like Dota over League. Any team has the chance, if they’re good enough, to play in the biggest esports tournament in the world. Could be a group of unsponsored, unsupported kids from a 3rd world nation, if you’re good enough, you can play.
Yeah agree. I always liked explaining esports to people that way. You don’t have to have money you just have to be good and everyone gets the chance to prove themselves
Now that money is moving in we are seeing stuff like this more and more. Teams that are buying in with controlled rosters.
Makes me sad.