As previously announced, starting in 2025, Riot will officially merge VCS into APAC along with other smaller regions around the world into their respective larger regions.
This is understandable as Riot is also implementing this policy for the regions in the VALORANT discipline. The reason is explained as a way to increase competition and quality for the region when participating in the international arena, as well as to ensure that Riot’s funding for the teams is utilized more effectively. Essentially, this is a policy that can be said to benefit many parties. But of course, there are also VCS teams that will be seriously affected.
These are the teams that will find it hard to compete for APAC spots to seek international opportunities. Recently, some information has set the VCS community abuzz.
Specifically, there are reports that next season, CERBERUS Esports – the “king of VCS” in the Winter 2021 tournament may have to exit the League of Legends scene.
If this turns out to be true, it will be another long-standing name following in the footsteps of Saigon Buffalo, leaving the map of Vietnamese and global League of Legends. Although CES has not had many achievements, it has made some noise in the League of Legends scene. Moreover, CES was home to many top players such as EGO, Artemis, Yado… CES was also the first team in League of Legends history in Vietnam to bring in foreign players from Korea. The only issue is that these foreign players did not meet the quality requirements.
However, it’s not just CES; many other teams are also speculated by fans to potentially follow in the footsteps of “The Hound.” The competition for APAC spots in a context where GAM Esports, Vikings Esports, and Team Secret are still around is very tough. Even Team Whales this season is struggling, making it hard to mention teams like Team Flash or MGN Blue Esports. But if the VCS tournament does not attract interest, it will also be challenging for smaller teams to secure funding from the tournament.
The concerns of the audience are well-founded. Right now, Vietnamese League of Legends fans may only care about two questions: “Will CES truly disband in League of Legends?” and “Which teams will remain in Vietnamese League of Legends next season?”