Next year, a new competitor will enter the North American League of Legends scene on Summoner’s Rift. Shopify Rebellion, an up-and-coming esports organization, has revealed its plans to join the LCS in 2024 as one of the league’s 10 franchised partners. Additionally, they have confirmed their acquisition of TSM’s current slot in the league, a move that reportedly cost them approximately $10 million, as reported by Kellen Browning of the New York Times.
Dario “TLO” Wünsch, the esports program development lead at Shopify Rebellion, expressed their excitement about venturing into League of Legends, one of the largest and historically competitive esports titles. He also mentioned their eagerness to collaborate with the former TSM roster as they compete in the LCS under the Shopify Rebellion banner.
Shopify Rebellion has gained worldwide recognition for its efforts in various esports, including StarCraft, Dota 2, Halo, Street Fighter, and Rocket League. They have also boasted a highly successful VALORANT Game Changers roster, achieving multiple top-three finishes in international and domestic events over the past two years, including a second-place finish at the 2022 Game Changers Championship in Berlin.
However, as newcomers to the league, Shopify Rebellion faces important decisions during the offseason. Three out of four remaining players on TSM’s active roster have contracts set to expire in November, with jungler Lee “Bugi” Seong-yeop being the only player with a contract extending until 2024. Consequently, Shopify Rebellion must either sign free agents or negotiate new contracts with the existing players.
TSM’s departure from the LCS has now been confirmed, following their announcement in May of their intention to leave North America for another tier-one region. This marks the end of an era for one of League of Legends esports’ most iconic North American teams, which has been part of the scene since its formation in 2011.
TSM CEO Andy “Reginald” Dinh expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition of their LCS slot, seeing it as a milestone moment for both TSM and the broader esports community. He believes that the synergy between TSM’s commitment to victory and Shopify Rebellion’s innovative spirit will lead to fresh success and elevate the competitiveness of esports.
Over the past decade, TSM has achieved considerable success, including seven LCS championships, a trophy at IEM Season Nine in Katowice, seven World Championship appearances, and two Mid-Season Invitational appearances. TSM was a dominant force in North America for many years and was home to numerous current stars and retired icons within the League of Legends community.