From the T1 Transfer Drama – Zeus Reminds Us of Faker
According to T1 CEO Joe Marsh, when he went to meet Faker to negotiate a contract extension at the end of 2022, his flight encountered issues, causing the head of T1 to be unable to arrive on time. This situation made the T1 leadership extremely worried, as Faker’s position in the League of Legends scene is quite unique, and for such an important matter as contract negotiation, no one could keep him waiting too long.
However, Faker himself remained incredibly calm. According to T1 CEO Joe Marsh, Faker simply said, “I can wait.” As we know, Faker then committed to T1 with a 3-year contract and secured two more World Championship titles with the greatest team in League of Legends history.
Faker’s situation was brought up again after T1 got embroiled in the recent transfer drama with Zeus. The context was similar, with T1 facing time constraints, yet Faker was willing to let his parent team have the opportunity to negotiate. In contrast, the representatives of Zeus acted completely differently. Some media reports from Korea even stated that they allowed T1 to travel to Incheon, while the contract with Hanwha Life Esports had already been signed beforehand.
If One Wants, They Will Find a Way; Faker Found a Way While Zeus Did Not
The stories of Faker and Zeus may seem different at first glance, but they are actually quite similar, and Zeus’s behavior only makes T1 fans and League of Legends audiences admire Faker even more. Unlike Zeus, when Faker was preparing to extend his contract with T1, no one knew if he would win two more World Championship titles. And Faker also had a rather disappointing year in 2022.
However, Faker wanted to stay with T1, and T1 needed Faker as well. When someone truly wants something, they will find a way. Faker was willing to wait while T1’s CEO faced a flight delay from abroad, while Zeus couldn’t wait for the distance from Seoul to Incheon.
With interests affected, the bond is no longer there. The T1 – Zeus story will likely be mentioned many more times when T1 faces HLE in the new season. But at this point, all parties have likely received both the results and consequences from this drama.