TSM will leave the LCS after establishing itself as a long-standing pillar of the iconic North American League of Legends ecosystem, according to a May 20 announcement from CEO Andy Dinh.
“We have made the tough decision to start the process of transitioning to another tier one region,” Dinh said. “This may feel sudden, but to be honest, we’ve been actively working towards this for the last three years.”
The transition to another region and the departure from the LCS comes after a period in which the organization parted ways with numerous members of management across the League division’s front office: head coach Wong “Chawy” Xing Lei, general manager Glen Yang, team manager Kristine Huang, and TSM COO Walter Wang.
Moving to another region means in all likelihood that the storied organization will sell its LCS slot, which has been rumored since March after a report saying TSM was likely to “freeze” its esports divisions amidst financial struggles. Veteran investigative reporter Jacob Wolf said the team is likely moving to the LPL in China, citing sources claiming TSM began talks with current LPL orgs back in November 2022.
TSM, once considered a dynasty in the LCS between the years of 2013 and 2017, has fallen short of expectations over the past few years, most notably during the 2022 and 2023 splits where they finished in the bottom half of the table. TSM has also fallen short of reaching its ultimate goal—a Worlds title—finishing only as high as eighth in 2012 and 2013.
TSM will still likely compete in the 2023 LCS Summer Split and has seemingly signed returning veteran Kim “Fenix” Jae-hun as a mid lane option alongside reportedly reaching a verbal agreement with former Team Heretics mid Lee “Ruby” Sol-min.
