At this point, it can be said that LPL has lost much of its allure compared to other regions. In fact, even on its “home turf,” this tournament is less enticing than other popular games, with Honor of Kings being a prime example. If we look within League of Legends, a tournament called “Legend Cup,” humorously referred to by the community as the “Senior Cup,” has received more attention than usual. The reason is that this tournament brings together many famous players who are familiar to League of Legends fans, such as Doinb, TheShy, Uzi… Meanwhile, LPL itself is “gasping for breath” as most of its players are unfamiliar faces, or teams that previously had many fans are now performing erratically (Weibo Gaming, Edward Gaming).
Recently, there have been reports that some officials from LPL and various teams are considering inviting Uzi, TheShy… back for the next season to “boost viewership” for the tournament. However, this has been deemed “impractical” by LPL fans themselves. The reason is that Uzi was a “victim” of the poor treatment from LPL teams during his attempts to return as a superstar marksman in 2022 and 2023.
Specifically, when Uzi joined Bilibili Gaming, he was still capable of contributing professionally, but he was merely a backup choice for a player unfamiliar to LPL, Doggo. In fact, BLG faced criticism for wanting to leverage Uzi to build a brand for a name that was still immature in the world of League of Legends. When Uzi moved to EDG, the situation did not improve as he was only the second choice behind Leave. And after leaving EDG, although he did not officially announce his retirement, Uzi’s career is essentially over as he is now 27 years old.
Witnessing Uzi’s “example” is enough to deter other players who still have appeal and want to contribute but have temporarily stepped away from the professional scene, such as Doinb or TheShy. TheShy serves as the most recent example of how losing a “veteran” can impact LPL. Not only in terms of the tournament’s appeal but also the quality of play has declined. WBG is currently uncertain about its future in the main event of LPL Summer 2024.
According to some assessments, LPL could “save itself” by winning the 2024 World Championship, or by spending a lot of money to bring back “veterans” like Uzi, Doinb, TheShy. The thing is, either option is very difficult and nearly equally impossible.