Evil Geniuses, Golden Guardians players and staff caught off guard by surprise LCS exit

Many LCS fans were surprised by the shocking news today that Golden Guardians and Evil Geniuses are exiting the premier North American League of Legends league. And team members of Golden Guardians and EG were both somehow caught off guard by the news.

Top laner Eric “Licorice” Ritchie, who played for Golden Guardians in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, said he received the news this morning, throwing his plans to play for Golden Guardians in 2024 into complete disarray.

“My plan for next year was to play for GG again so as of right now I don’t have a team and will likely not be a starter in the LCS next year, since remaining teams have all locked top laners,” Licorice wrote. While seeking potential playing opportunities for next year, Licorice also said he’s open to working on the LCS broadcast.

Kelsey Moser, the head of the EG League coaching staff, said she was “disappointed in the lateness of the news, [as] very few heard about it before the weekend.”

Finding a chance to play in 2024 will be hard for any of the EG or Golden Guardians players considering how late they are receiving the news. One of the primary issues the LCSPA took with the announcement from Riot global esports head John Needham and the LCS was that its timing leaves players without the “fair opportunity” to seek work elsewhere. The official announcement was made only hours before the free agency window opens later today.

But Needham said in an interview with Travis Gafford that both Riot and the organizations had been actively discussing the termination of the agreements between both parties “weeks” before today’s official announcements. Needham cited the Golden Guardians’ ownership group, the Golden State Warriors, wanting to “focus on basketball” and EG’s “well documented” public issues as reasons for the severed agreements.

In addition to players and coaches, the staff and employees who worked on the League divisions for both organizations will have to find work elsewhere as both Golden Guardians and EG will be exiting League as a whole.