The summer hasn’t even begun, but the offseason may already be heating up for one of North America’s top League of Legends organizations.
Evil Geniuses is reportedly looking to off-load four superstars from its League division in a massive roster overhaul, according to esports journalist Alejandro Gomis‘ report on Blix.gg. This decision comes after a rather lackluster performance through the 2023 Spring Split, where the team finished in fifth place during the regular season and suffered an early playoff exit at the hands of Golden Guardians.
The departures will supposedly include top laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho, jungler Kacper “Inspired” Słoma, AD carry Victor “FBI” Huang, and veteran support Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme. If this decision goes through, the only remaining member from the team’s LCS trophy run from 2022 will be Joseph “jojopyun” Pyun, who is signed on until November 2024.
Replacements for the four members have not been discussed or spoken of, but according to esports content creator Travis Gafford, sources have said that the organization is going “mega budget” for the upcoming 2023 Summer Split. This is due to Evil Geniuses being on the higher end of spending in the league, pushing management to start cutting costs before next season.
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This new roster direction isn’t a new development with LCS teams, after legacy organizations like TSM reportedly spent minimal funds on their recent lineup for 2023. The league also recently said goodbye to Counter Logic Gaming, after the team shuttered all of its esports divisions and sold its franchise spot to NRG.
In the meantime, four top-tier players might be available on the free agency market for this coming summer. Their services will be in high demand for any teams looking to make a push for not only the playoffs but for the upcoming 2023 World Championship in South Korea. Every member that is supposedly leaving has a ton of experience and could elevate any roster to new heights.
