As we know, right after the 2023 season ended and while teams were frantically executing transfer deals and participating in various events like fan meetings, Gen.G had a significant “self-destruct” moment. Sensitive media information from Gen.G has caused this team to bear the first consequences, with a series of events being immediately canceled. Therefore, while T1 is continuously “running shows”, the reigning champion LCK has to abandon its ambitions to extend its influence in the land of billion people as plans were just beginning to take shape.
But the situation doesn’t stop there. Recently, according to 957 – a well-known insider streamer in the LPL, the LCK is at risk of being completely banned from broadcasting in the land of billion people, and the reason is “from a team that everyone knows”. For those who don’t know, 957 was a player for Team WE in 2017 and is now one of the most trusted LPL sources, attracting a lot of attention from netizens.
Of course, this is not good news for the LCK at all. The LPL is one of the two largest regions in the global League of Legends scene. Not being able to broadcast in this area (if it happens) will cause extremely heavy losses for the LCK. Not to mention, if this broadcasting ban actually occurs, it might just be the beginning. Because surely, there will be severe penalties from the LCK organizers and Riot, or even Tencent for the reigning champion. It’s not as simple as Gen.G posting apology articles or deleting old posts for everything to settle down.
Teams that have many fans in the LPL, such as T1, may also be affected in the future. Not to mention, at the recent Demacia Cup, Korean players like Ruler had to hide their identities and were only shown from behind in the trash talk, which is considered a new regulation that the Chinese League of Legends scene has for foreign players from the LCK. And the move to ban the tournament (if it happens) might just be the beginning.