In recent days, alongside intense matches, one of the things that has caught the attention of the League of Legends community is T1 renewing contracts with a series of their players. This is seen as an investment in the future. Players like Oner and Zeus are still very young and can contribute to professional League of Legends for many more years.
Both Oner and Zeus have renewed contracts with T1
However, as T1 players have gradually renewed their contracts, according to T1’s CEO Joe Marsh, there is one name that has yet to renew with the team. That name is the legend Faker. As of now, his contract with T1 only extends until the end of Worlds 2022, specifically on November 21, 2022. The player with a similar contract duration to Faker is Asper, who serves both as a Support player and a member of the team’s coaching staff.
But while Asper has only participated in coaching and has yet to play a single minute since joining T1, Faker’s position is completely different. He is the backbone of the team, and even though he is getting older, Faker continues to deliver strong performances against top opponents in crucial matches. From the LCK Spring 2022 to MSI 2022, Faker’s contribution to T1’s overall success is undeniable. In fact, in several matches, if Faker had not shone, T1 might have faced defeat.
It’s very likely that Faker wants to wait until the end of the season to see the results of the tournaments T1 participates in before considering a new contract. As mentioned earlier, Faker is no longer young, and his playing time can only be counted by the season. Not to mention, with the ASIAD 2022 being indefinitely postponed, the likelihood of Faker having to serve military duty is very high.
This has raised concerns within the League of Legends community. Everyone knows that Faker’s time is limited, but if he truly has to leave within the next season, it would still be too sudden. According to many speculations, it is very possible that the postponement of ASIAD 2022 has affected T1 and Faker’s decisions. After all, no one knows if he has to fulfill mandatory military duty as per South Korean regulations.
If Faker truly has to retire, it would be an immeasurable loss for the League of Legends community. However, everything is still just speculation. And perhaps everything will only become clear after Worlds 2022 concludes.