Gen.G Came Close to Facing Bankruptcy Due to Chovy, Ruler
As known, for the upcoming 2025 season, Gen.G still boasts a remarkably strong roster with superstars like Kiin, Canyon, Chovy. Additionally, they brought back a former icon of the team – Ruler, and a promising support player named Duro. With a roster filled with big stars and rich experience in the LCK, Gen.G does not hide its ambition to compete for titles in the upcoming 2025 season.
With only 2 changes to the roster compared to last season, one might think that Gen.G’s transfer period would occur quite peacefully, but the reality is quite the opposite. Specifically, according to recent statements from manager Lee Jihoon, they (Gen.G) have essentially bet the survival of the organization on securing Chovy and Ruler for the next 3 years. If they fail, Gen.G may suffer heavy losses to the point of facing bankruptcy.
“One difference between Esports and traditional sports is that there is no such thing as television rights fees. The main source of income for Esports teams like us (Gen.G) comes from fans, so we need to build a strong fanbase. That is the highest goal when we signed Chovy and Ruler to a 3-year contract because they are both icons of Gen.G. If we fail to negotiate with them, we could very well face the risk of bankruptcy due to heavy losses,” manager Lee Ji-hoon shared.
To Secure Chovy, Ruler, Gen.G Had to “Overcome Countless Obstacles”
Looking at Gen.G’s current roster, viewers can see that this is a “star-studded” team with an excellent chance of competing for titles. However, Gen.G also took a “risk” to acquire the current stars, and they nearly lost everything. According to some sources in the LCK, if they failed to secure Chovy and Ruler, other stars like Kiin or Canyon would also look to leave, and Gen.G would then have to play with academy players.
Clearly, in terms of reputation or “brand recognition,” academy players cannot compare to the current stars of Gen.G. At that point, as manager Ji-hoon shared, this team would face heavy losses and stand on the brink of bankruptcy. For a traditional organization well-known in many disciplines like Gen.G, no one wants to see that scenario unfold. Fortunately, Gen.G successfully convinced Chovy and Ruler, helping the organization avoid the darkest outcome.