Why is TSM leaving the LCS?

Many North American League of Legends fans are still reeling after TSM announced on May 20 that it will be leaving the LCS.

The perennial league champions have been one of the most popular teams in LoL esports since becoming one of the original teams to debut alongside the league, but after months of speculation, TSM’s CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh confirmed that the organization is in the process of moving to another tier-one region, whether that is South Korea, China, or Europe.

Supporters are reasonably disappointed by the news, and as a result, plenty of questions will be posed to the team and the ongoing situation.

Why TSM is leaving the LCS

One of the reasons that Reginald said played a factor in TSM leaving the LCS is the organization’s constant failures at international events.

“TSM has always been about competing at the highest level, and every time we go to Worlds, we fail to deliver and we’ve never brought back a trophy,” Reginald said in the team’s announcement video.

Related: TSM to leave LCS after a decade of North American League of Legends

After a decade in the LCS, TSM has never made it past the first round at the World Championship, and they have suffered group-stage exits in their last four appearances. The last time they attended Worlds, they were placed on the wrong side of history when they became the first pool one seed to finish groups without a single win.

Although not explicitly mentioned by Reginald, TSM also had to deal with significant fallout following the bankruptcy of its major naming sponsor, FTX. Originally marked for a 10-year, $210 million deal, TSM was reported to be pausing its efforts across multiple esports due to financial issues, including the sale of its franchised LCS slot. The organization also laid off more than a dozen workers in June 2022, just over a year after agreeing to the FTX deal.

The team’s LCS budget has also lowered significantly since, with their former head coach Wong “Chawy” Xing Lei claiming TSM had the lowest budget when building its roster for the 2023 season.