Facing Gen.G in the Swiss round of the World Championship (Worlds) 2023, of course, even the most optimistic “hardcore” fans of GAM Esports could only hope that their team could pose a few small challenges to the reigning champion LCK. Unlike any other teams that might play with a somewhat subjective approach, even underestimating their opponents, Gen.G is always a thoroughly serious team. And of course, when Gen.G had respect bans and picks against GAM, the representative of VCS simply could not work any magic.
Due to the absolute dominance of the LCK representative, on the day GAM faced Gen.G, both teams created the fastest match duration at Worlds 2023 to date. Specifically, the match between GAM and Gen.G lasted only 22 minutes and 35 seconds before concluding. In a typical match, GAM would at least have managed to take Gen.G to the late game, but they had to accept defeat. This was also a result that was anticipated, especially when witnessing Gen.G organizing a “pressing” strategy against GAM almost throughout the match.
Additionally, GAM also set a small record for themselves as well as for the VCS region. The match between Gen.G and GAM accumulated a total of 1,520,972 views. This is the largest view count that a VCS team has achieved at an international level tournament. Notably, this number does not include views from broadcasting platforms in China. Furthermore, with the match between Gen.G and GAM ranking in the top 4, all four leading positions in view counts included LCK teams. T1, of course, remains at the top with 1,668,529 views.
Entering the Swiss round as the last team from the minor regions and wildcard, GAM was also the lowest-rated team among the 16 teams. However, the players are certainly making every effort to complete the 2023 Worlds to the fullest.