If we take a look at the whole picture, this wouldn’t be an insane move from TSM. They’ve been struggling in many aspects, not only in their results. Their CEO was recently sanctioned by Riot Games after verbal assault allegations, their LCS squad isn’t looking that great at all, and there is so much drama surrounding this organization as of lately. We do have to recognize that TSM has grown to be one of the most popular League of Legends teams since the organization’s inception back in 2011, but according to a report by Dexerto’s Richard Lewis, the team was close to leaving the LCS.
Some sources claimed that TSM was looking to join the LEC via the newly-vacated Misfits Gaming slot. The organization made some primary inquiries around a possible sale before Team Heretics ended up purchasing the spot for a reported $45 to $50 million. Dexerto sources say that TSM recently considered selling its LCS spot due to three main factors: reducing costs of the team’s various esports projects, the level of competition in the region, along with the falling popularity of League as a whole in North America.
This move would have been supposedly made purely because it made sense financially for them to join the top European league, especially with how much growth the league had seen over the past few years. For comparison, the LCS has seen a steady decrease in its peak viewership, with the most-recent 2022 Spring Split hitting a peak of 387,000 viewers. Meanwhile, the LEC hasn’t had a peak under 723,000 in any season since the 2019 Summer Split.
Now looking back TSM’s recent results in their competitive teams, things are looking rough for not only their LCS squad but across the organization as a whole. According to Dexerto’s source, TSM is cutting budgets across all its esports divisions and will be selling more assets in the near future.
The perennial LCS champions have three more weeks to try and qualify for a playoff spot before their dreams of a World Championship berth are officially dead. TSM’s League team has struggled to find success throughout the 2022 LCS Summer Split, as they currently sit in second-last place with an abysmal 3-8 record. It hasn’t helped that the lineup has undergone multiple changes over the past year, with several players coming and going through the main roster’s doors.
This has to be a very awkward situation for all the TSM players, especially if we consider all the hassle they’ve been going through in the past couple of weeks. Now that TSM has decided to stay in the North American scene for the upcoming years, they are definitely in need of a revamp in their League of Legends department. It should be unacceptable for an organization that carries so much legacy and is in a good spot financially-speaking to bring such results in the 2022 season.
