For many who follow esports on a daily basis, it is no surprise that 2023 is a year of great changes and unexpected decisions for different teams, which are facing a period of recession as predicted since mid-last season.
This time of uncertainty not only brought us news such as the sale of CLG's spot to NRG in the North American LCS but also teams from Asia have already started working to try to balance their financial situation.
Among these are those belonging to the LCK, the top competitive league of League of Legends in South Korea, who apparently will follow the example of their counterpart in China by introducing a salary cap for each player of their franchised teams.
LCK SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ITS SQUADS
According to reports from the Korean media INVEN, multiple officials close to this competitive league confirmed that the LCK and its 10 organizations agreed to its implementation after several discussions. However, the way it will be done and the time it will be imposed has not yet been determined.
Prior to this, it was well known that the South Korean circuit had significant salary problems since late 2021, so most of its member teams began promoting a way to solve it. At that time, the LCK denied needing its introduction, while T1 strongly opposed any kind of measure.
However, once player prices skyrocketed exponentially, opinions on salary caps also changed. While there was previously much concern about player migration and the level of competitiveness of the LCK, now the consensus is that it is necessary to find a way to curb excessive salary inflation.
In addition, in the last competitive season, some officials revealed the uncomfortable situation of the esports market with direct expressions such as frozen market and closed wallets. This means that it is not just about salaries, but almost all teams have had a deficit for some years.
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