At this moment, nearly all attention is focused on the preparation of the Vietnamese League of Legends team for the upcoming ASIAD. However, this does not mean that the VCS region lacks excitement surrounding mid-season transfer deals. As of now, the only “blockbuster” that has emerged is the transfer of Slayder leaving SBTC Esports (SE) after just one Spring 2023 season to join GAM Esports (GAM).
However, the troubles surrounding this transfer focus on Slayder’s former team – SE. Firstly, SE’s farewell to Slayder was rather brief, causing outrage in the VCS community. Many believe that although Slayder left after just one season, he was the brightest star of SE in the previous Spring, and the rookie ADC of GAM deserved much more respect.
In addition, according to Slayder, there may have been internal disagreements within SE. As Slayder mentioned, the SE management indicated the reason for his transfer: they wanted SE to shine as a whole rather than just the ADC. The announcement from SE management left Slayder confused, and many viewers believe that SE’s internal situation has never been stable. Especially since not only Slayder but Coach Ren also left in a very loud manner after just one season.
Speaking on this issue, during an online press conference with Teacher Ba, a representative of SE acknowledged that the team made some mistakes in the farewell message to Slayder. However, when asked, he confirmed that there would be no apology post as he believes it “wouldn’t be very meaningful” in this case. Nevertheless, Teacher Ba also expressed some strong opinions, forcing SE’s representative to consider appropriate actions in the upcoming days.
Furthermore, according to SE’s representatives, starting from VCS 2024, the name “SBTC Esports” may no longer exist. In terms of personnel, while SE’s representatives did not specify whether there would be a complete overhaul or individual changes, the fact that SE has recently revealed a new investor suggests that significant roster changes may be forthcoming from the “Pink Chickens”.
Nonetheless, the online press conference video was deleted by SE shortly afterward. This was quite a surprising move, and fans of the team will likely have to wait longer to see what new developments arise from this team.