North American organisations FaZe Clan, NRG Esports, and Pittsburgh Knights have shown interest in joining the new-look LCK.
They’ve each submitted a letter of intent to apply for long-term partnerships in Riot Games’ Korean League of Legends competition.
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A report from Fomos explains that 25 teams have submitted letters of intent to become a partner of the league as it moves away from promotions and relegations in favour of adopting a model much what’s seen in the LCS, LPL, and LEC.
It’s said that all 10 existing teams in the LCK, as well as eight teams from the Challengers Korea league, have shown interest. In addition to FaZe Clan, NRG Esports, and Pittsburgh Knights, it’s reported that Treasure Hunter and World Game Star have also submitted letters of intent. It’s worth noting that this doesn’t necessarily mean all interested parties will formally apply for a spot in the league.
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It was announced early in April that the LCK would adopt a long-partnership model from 2021 onwards. At the time, a statement was given about the plans: “We have concluded that LCK must be a stage where players, teams, and fans can fulfill their dreams not only for a short period, but for generations. We will adopt the Long-term partnership model in LCK in 2021. And we will bring back the glory.”
Interest parties have until June 19th to submit applications for the league, with a review process following into August. The league aims to improve the support it provides to players, with Riot Games mandating a minimum salary of 60 million KRW (GBP39,731.71) per season.
Esports Insider says: It’ll be interesting to see which groups actually follow through with this mark of intent. Capitalising on the popularity of League of Legends in Korea is undoubtedly an exciting prospect, so seeing the likes of FaZe Clan and NRG Esports show interest isn’t a particularly surprising discovery.