After what can be considered the largest failure in the team’s recent history, the former 2018 World Champion – Invictus Gaming is facing an unprecedented personnel transition as they are about to overhaul nearly their entire roster.
Recently, Chinese media outlets have reported that Rookie is certain to retire after this season, and it is highly likely that TheShy will make a similar decision. However, it’s not just Rookie and TheShy; many other names in the IG lineup are also facing the prospect of leaving the team, including Baolan – the owner of the IG Rakan skin.
Baolan is one of the six members from IG’s golden generation of 2018, when he and his teammates became the first players to bring the prestigious World Championship title to the LPL. However, over the past two years, Baolan has not been himself. His performance has significantly declined, and he ultimately became the second choice for IG’s support position in the 2021 season.
Rumors about Baolan potentially leaving IG, or even retiring, began to surface when he hinted at pursuing a career in livestreaming during a recent broadcast. Previously, Baolan rarely livestreamed spontaneously; without a scheduled stream from the team, he would almost disappear from the public eye.
Unlike Rookie or TheShy, or even his former teammate JackeyLove, Baolan does not possess a large draw, and he has expressed that he is not particularly interested in livestreaming. However, in a recent stream, Baolan shared that he is preparing to transition into this field:
“I used to feel that I wasn’t suited for livestreaming, but now it’s different. Earning extra money isn’t necessarily a bad thing; material wealth influences mindset. If that job provides a stable income, it will naturally bring positive aspects to my mental state. Conversely, if I only want to satisfy my spirit, it won’t generate money.”
“So making money isn’t a bad thing.”
“Although I’m not entirely sure about transitioning to livestreaming, I just want to let everyone know that I’ve had experiences and realizations. Right now, I don’t have any mandatory stream schedules, but trying to stream more isn’t a bad idea…”
It seems that Baolan is hinting at livestreaming more in the future, and he may fully commit to this profession if necessary, similar to his former teammate Ning. It is known that Baolan’s contract with IG will expire at the end of this year, and the team does not appear very keen on retaining this star.
In reality, Baolan’s contributions on a professional level have been quite minimal in recent seasons, while he is not a name with enough appeal to “do advertising.” Therefore, it’s not surprising that IG does not want to keep Baolan, especially in the context of the team dealing with financial difficulties and needing to rejuvenate their lineup.