Ten teams have been announced for Riot Games’ franchised League of Legends Championship Series—but Immortals is not one of them. Six legacy teams will remain, with four new names added.
Immortals CEO Noah Whinston confirmed the organization’s rejection from the franchised North American LCS system yesterday as the full slate of new teams was announced. The departure comes despite the team placing second in the 2017 NA LCS Summer Split, second in the 2017 NA LCS Summer Playoffs, and qualifying to represent North America at the 2017 League World Championships in China.
“While we are disappointed in Riot’s decision, we remain grateful to our fans and players and the entire League of Legends community for joining us on an incredible journey these last two years,” Whinston said in the statement. “We are proud of the team and brand that our staff, players, and fans built together.
“We will continue to build teams and communities around the core values that we believe set us apart, and lead to deep connections with our fans. Although we are closing this chapter in LCS, we are excited about many other initiatives already underway, and look forward to sharing those details with our dedicated fans as soon as we can.”
Immortals will continue to operate teams in DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Super Smash Brothers, and Overwatch. The Immortals Overwatch team, called the Los Angeles Valiant, will participate in the Overwatch League, Blizzard’s own franchised league.
