In recent days, the transfer saga of TheShy and Weibo Gaming (WBG) has drawn a lot of attention. The reason stems from numerous reports claiming that WBG sought to reduce TheShy’s salary and push the player out of the team. Subsequently, WBG’s management had to clarify that they offered TheShy a salary cap, but the decision to retire was entirely up to the player.
After announcing his break, TheShy transitioned to livestreaming and has become an extremely hot name. According to statistics from Sohu, just two days after going live, TheShy garnered support amounting to 180,000 yuan (approximately 600 million VND). This is an impressive figure and shows that TheShy can “thrive” solely through his livestreaming work.
For WBG, however, the story is not as favorable as the number of followers on the team’s social media is severely declining. According to statistics from Sohu, just days after parting with TheShy, WBG’s followers across platforms dropped by 270,000. Notably, this number continues to rise and shows no signs of stopping.
Not stopping there, many of TheShy’s fans are calling for a boycott of WBG merchandise. Some who have already purchased items have even begun leaving negative reviews for these products. Consequently, WBG’s business operations are facing significant challenges, and Sohu bluntly stated that the team has “nothing left” after the fallout with TheShy.
It’s important to note that TheShy is one of the first LPL players to win the World Championship. Therefore, he has a large number of loyal fans. Furthermore, WBG’s management recently provoked TheShy’s fans by referring to them as “zombies.” This has led to the fans’ fierce retaliation against the team.
As a result, WBG is facing numerous difficulties and pressures even before the 2024 season officially begins. Perhaps WBG made a mistake by taking a hard stance against TheShy’s fans. If they do not perform well in the upcoming season, the public pressure on WBG will surely become extremely overwhelming.