In crisis, the LCS, the North American League of Legends league, reduced the number of participating teams, from ten to eight, during the 2024 season, with the departure of Evil Geniuses (EG) and Golden Guardians . This is another movement of change in the composition of the league, which has already lost six of the ten companies that were part of the competition in the first franchise season, in 2018.

Of the ten teams selected for the franchise, six have already left the LCS: Clutch Gaming, Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), Echo Fox, Golden Guardians, OpTic Gaming and TSM.

The ten teams that participated in the first franchise edition of the LCS were:

• 100 thieves
• Cloud 9
• Clutch play
• Counter-logic game
• Echo Fox
• FlyQuest
• Gold Guardians
• Optical games
• Team Liquid
• TSM

Therefore, only 100 Thieves, Cloud9, FlyQuest and Liquid continue to compete and are confirmed in next year’s LCS.

Remember which teams have already left:

Founded in 2015 by former NBA star Rick Fox, Echo Fox left the LCS in 2019 by decision of Riot Games due to a controversy involving one of the shareholders.

On that occasion, Echo Fox co-founder Amir Raizada used racist language in an email sent to the organization’s former CEO, Jace Hall Raizada, after the two men argued over financial details related to Hall’s company, Twin Galaxies. Raizada even threatened Fox’s family at the time.

As punishment, Riot gave Echo Fox 60 days to find a new owner for the LCS spot.

Selected for the franchise, Clutch Gaming left the LCS at the end of the 2019 season. Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns Dignitas and the Philadelphia 76ers, acquired Clutch.

With this, Dignitas took ownership of the vacant position, returning to the competitive LoL scene in 2020, after having their bid for the LCS franchise rejected.

Founded in 2017, OpTic Gaming competed in the LCS between 2018 and 2019. After receiving a $1 million investment from Texas Rangers baseball team co-owner Neil Leibman, the North American team acquired a place in franchises, getting into the sport. for the first time.

However, the OpTic brand only lasted two seasons in the LCS. In fact, the organization was purchased by Immortals Gaming Club, the parent company of Immortals. Immortals thus replaced OpTic and returned to the North American competition in 2020 after seeing its franchise application rejected in 2018.

One of the most important organizations in North American LoL history, CLG recently left the league. Double champion of the LCS, with titles in 2015 and 2016, runner-up of the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) in 2016 and with four participations in the world championships, CLG left the LCS after the first stage of the 2023 season.

In the midst of a financial crisis, CLG closed its doors, ending its esports operations, and sold the premises to NRG Esports, founded by co-owners of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, Mark Mastrov and Andy Miller.

North America’s largest esports organization, seven-time LCS champion TSM left the league in 2024 due to the crisis in the North American LoL scene. Team founder Andy “Reginald” said he would look to invest in another major region.

TSM sold the spot to Shopify Rebellion, who will debut in the LCS starting next season. The organization was founded by Tobias Lutke, CEO of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify, and poker player Daniel Weinand.

Founded in 2017 by the North American basketball team Golden State Warriors, Golden Guardians is, so far, the last of the franchise’s original organizations to leave the LCS.

According to Riot’s president of esports, John Needham, the Golden State Warriors want to focus their activities on basketball.