Korea's pro exodus may spell bad news for the game's top region
Riot·11/5/2014, 2:23:03 AM·1 votes·24,229 views
Korea's dominance over League of Legends may be waning. Recently, Korean pros are leaving their teams in droves and heading overseas. During the Summer Split, several Koreans players such as InSec, Zero, and Seraph decided to join foreign teams in North America, China, and even Brazil. But following the 2014 World Championship, several super star players -- Dandy, KaKao and Rookie among others -- have left their teams with foreign destinations in mind. With some of the best names in the game today leaving Korea, what is so attractive about leaving the Mecca of competitive gaming?
InSec's trek to China looked to be a special case, but was evidently only part of the first wave of departures. This off-season, a flurry of Korean players abandoned ship, including two of Korea's best: jungler Lee "KaKAO" Byung-kwon and Song "RooKie" Eui-jin. Both have already confirmed that they are joining a Chinese team, though which one is a matter of speculation as of this writing.
China in particular has become a frequent destination for Korean pros, thanks in large part to the region's willingness to pay up. Recently, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok was reportedly offered upwards of ~$1 million USD to play in China before re-signing with SK Telecom.
There are other financial incentives to leave Korea besides salaries. The ability to stream and create a brand is unavailable in Korea because of the strenuous training environment. Former World Elite top laner Wei "CaoMei" Handong earns over $800,000 USD a year streaming after he retired this year. Several other pros have secured similarly lucrative contracts outside of their team salary, particularly in China. Another former World Elite member, team captain Yu "Misaya" Jingxi, is now making over $1 million USD per year selling branded gaming peripherals and other accessories.
While Korean progamers are often looked at as rockstars, it is far from their daily reality of working long -- possibly unreasonable -- hours while earning below average salaries for players of their ability. Traditionally the appeal of Korea has been to play with the best players to improve. But the Korean exodus indicates that players want to make better wage and live a more fulfilling life more than they want to be the best. In this regard, it seems Korea has much to learn from China.
Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin also stated in a recent interview his desire to experience the North American training environment, and see how it's different than in Korea. While he will likely find Western players aren't as committed to training as Korean pros, Piglet emphasized his desire to train even harder than he did in Korea. Famously, Shin "Helios" Dong-jin found this out when he joined Evil Geniuses, where Tyson "Innox" Kapler was playing a very small amount of solo queue games. It will be interesting to see if Piglet has an impact on his team's habits.
There is also a sense of players wanting a second chance in a new atmosphere. Former KT Bullets mid laner and new Millenium recruit Ryu "Ryu" Sang-ook echoed these sentiments upon joining the French organization. "Thanks to Millenium for giving me this opportunity. I didn't want to miss it," Ryu said. "I’m starting in a new atmosphere. I’ll do my best. Cheer for me please!"
Support player Ham "Lustboy" Jang-sik joined Team SoloMid under similar circumstances -- struggling to breakthrough on a team that was past it's prime, he left for new opportunities. After reaching the Quarterfinals of the 2014 World Championship, Lustboy has already had more success on TSM than he'd ever had as part of CJ Entus Blaze.
Show me the money
The most immediate issue is the money. Player compensation isn't publicly disclosed, but the information isn't exactly a closely guarded secret either. Sources close to teams have given us a good idea of the relative salaries of teams around the World. The anecdotal evidence of player salaries, in combination with the recent exodus of Koreans, has made it clear that Korean organizations will not pay competitive salaries to pro gamers."If a company doesn't give the players what they want, then it's just a fact the player's going to go somewhere else. That's how the world works." - Choi "Dandy" In-kyuPerhaps the most notable transfer during the 2014 season was Choi "InSec" In-seok leaving the KT Bullets to go to China's Star Horn Royal Club. But since his transfer, there have been many other Koreans who left Korea. "It's a good thing [that Korean players are leaving Korea], there's better opportunities." InSec said.
InSec's trek to China looked to be a special case, but was evidently only part of the first wave of departures. This off-season, a flurry of Korean players abandoned ship, including two of Korea's best: jungler Lee "KaKAO" Byung-kwon and Song "RooKie" Eui-jin. Both have already confirmed that they are joining a Chinese team, though which one is a matter of speculation as of this writing.
China in particular has become a frequent destination for Korean pros, thanks in large part to the region's willingness to pay up. Recently, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok was reportedly offered upwards of ~$1 million USD to play in China before re-signing with SK Telecom.
Freedom to choose
But financial security isn't the only factor causing Korean professionals to leave their homeland. As fans of Korean esports know, Koreans play a lot of League of Legends. Samsung Blue mid laner Bae "Dade" Eo-jin told me, "Korean players wake up at 1pm and play until 5am." With a 16 hour play schedule it's easy for players to burn out. Undoubtedly some players want a less strenuous training environment, even if it costs them some of their mechanical ability.There are other financial incentives to leave Korea besides salaries. The ability to stream and create a brand is unavailable in Korea because of the strenuous training environment. Former World Elite top laner Wei "CaoMei" Handong earns over $800,000 USD a year streaming after he retired this year. Several other pros have secured similarly lucrative contracts outside of their team salary, particularly in China. Another former World Elite member, team captain Yu "Misaya" Jingxi, is now making over $1 million USD per year selling branded gaming peripherals and other accessories.
While Korean progamers are often looked at as rockstars, it is far from their daily reality of working long -- possibly unreasonable -- hours while earning below average salaries for players of their ability. Traditionally the appeal of Korea has been to play with the best players to improve. But the Korean exodus indicates that players want to make better wage and live a more fulfilling life more than they want to be the best. In this regard, it seems Korea has much to learn from China.
Exploration
However, it's not all bad. There are some positive reasons that players are changing as well. Star Horn Royal Club's Yoon "Zero" Kyung-sup emphasized his desire to travel and experience new cultures. "I love to be overseas, not just in China specifically but anywhere. I like experiencing new cultures and new people."
Chae "Piglet" Gwang-jin also stated in a recent interview his desire to experience the North American training environment, and see how it's different than in Korea. While he will likely find Western players aren't as committed to training as Korean pros, Piglet emphasized his desire to train even harder than he did in Korea. Famously, Shin "Helios" Dong-jin found this out when he joined Evil Geniuses, where Tyson "Innox" Kapler was playing a very small amount of solo queue games. It will be interesting to see if Piglet has an impact on his team's habits.
There is also a sense of players wanting a second chance in a new atmosphere. Former KT Bullets mid laner and new Millenium recruit Ryu "Ryu" Sang-ook echoed these sentiments upon joining the French organization. "Thanks to Millenium for giving me this opportunity. I didn't want to miss it," Ryu said. "I’m starting in a new atmosphere. I’ll do my best. Cheer for me please!"
Support player Ham "Lustboy" Jang-sik joined Team SoloMid under similar circumstances -- struggling to breakthrough on a team that was past it's prime, he left for new opportunities. After reaching the Quarterfinals of the 2014 World Championship, Lustboy has already had more success on TSM than he'd ever had as part of CJ Entus Blaze.
