Immortals staff exit the organization ahead of NA LCS upheaval

The Immortals exodus seems to have begun.

Coach Kim “SSONG” Sang-soo announced earlier today that he is leaving the organization and is looking for coaching roles elsewhere, ending his six-month tenure with Immortals.

Some of Immortals backroom staff, including analyst Nick Luft, have also announced that they are looking for positions elsewhere.

SSONG originally joined Immortals on May 18, guiding the team to their first NA LCS final. Immortals finished as runners-up to TSM. The coach also led Immortals to their first ever World Championship. The team finished fourth in their group at Worlds last month, failing to qualify for the knockout stage.

Prior to his stint in North America, SSONG coached in Korea. He went to the World Championship with ROX Tigers, and coached Longzhu Gaming in the 2017 LCK Spring Split. SSONG also enjoyed a successful playing career in 2012 and 2013 with NaJin Sword.

These staff departures give further credence to Immortals’ rumored departure from the NA LCS. According to an Oct. 18 report, Immortals were rejected during the second round of the league’s franchising process—arguably the biggest surprise in that process.

Despite this departure, SSONG is highly likely to have options to coach in 2018. Four new teams will be coming into the LCS looking for coaches—and they could hardly go wrong with the Summer Split’s best coach.