On August 27, during the playoffs of the VCS Summer 2023, GAM Esports successfully defeated Team Secret in a thrilling BO5 match. With this victory, GAM has secured its first spot representing VCS at the World Championship (Worlds) 2023. Additionally, player Slayder will also make his debut at Worlds 2023. Right after the match concluded, while greeting the opponents, Slayder couldn’t hold back his tears of joy as the opportunity to participate in a Worlds event has never felt clearer to him than it does now.
However, on many international League of Legends forums, numerous viewers began to question the current situation: both NRG (from the LCS) and GAM (from the VCS) are participating in Worlds 2023. Of course, the concern arises from the fact that NRG is owned by the NRG group based in Los Angeles, while GAM is owned by NRG.ASIA. And for those who may not know, NRG.ASIA was once considered a branch of the NRG group in its bid to penetrate the Asian esports market.
Thus, the question arises: how will GAM (under NRG.ASIA) compete if they face NRG? Will there be any conflict regarding the relationship between the two organizations when their teams face off? Moreover, fans are concerned about the potential negative issues that might arise if GAM and NRG confront each other at Worlds 2023. Because, from the perspective of most fans, the two teams GAM and NRG, in some aspects, share a common owner.
However, many viewers argue that a situation like that of NRG and GAM is not unusual in the history of traditional sports as well as esports. For instance, in the past, both PSG.Talon and LGD participated in a tournament even though PSG was then the main sponsor of the LGD team in Dota 2. Or a more famous case: Samsung Galaxy White and Samsung Galaxy Blue competed at Worlds without issue in the past. Subsequently, Riot made more stringent rules regarding such situations.
Additionally, there is another explanation that many voices agree with: “NRG.ASIA may just be a franchise unit of NRG aiming to establish influence in the Asian region. The president of NRG.ASIA is Randy Dobson (who is the CEO of CMG.ASIA – completely unrelated to NRG). Meanwhile, TK Nguyen and Dru Nguyen serve as CEO and COO, respectively, having experience in the entertainment and nightlife sectors. The franchise model is not unusual, and NRG may be implementing this strategy to spread its influence and brand in the Asian esports community. Not to mention, if this issue were initially problematic, Riot would have prevented it early on, rather than allowing it to reach this point.”
Of course, most of these opinions come from the League of Legends community. Meanwhile, both the parties involved and Riot have yet to comment on the situation. However, when a team undergoes an ownership transfer, Riot must be fully aware of all processes, procedures, and relevant information. Therefore, it is unlikely that a problematic situation could arise that this publisher cannot manage.