Immortals has confirmed that it will not feature in the LCS going forward having not been accepted into Riot Games’ North American League Championship Series permanent partnership system.
When the news broke a while back, it was met with shock from the community. Noah Whinston, Immortals CEO, had praised Riot several times and the organisations roots are fundamentally in League of Legends. Immortals has secured an Overwatch League spot and last year finished 2nd in the NA LCS Summer Split and Summer Playoffs thus qualifying and representing North America at the World Championships.
Noah Whinston released a video addressing the fans, thanking them for their support and urging for continued support across other ventures in the future.
Whinston said in a statement: “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. 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.”
He continued, “The support we received from our Immortals family proves that there is a place in the market for teams that care deeply about how players are treated, and who invite fans to truly become part of a team. We will continue to speak authentically and transparently to our fans, and to be accountable to our fans anywhere we plant the Immortals flag. Finally, on behalf of our entire organization, I again extend heartfelt thanks to all the players and fans who have devoted countless hours, and full hearts, to supporting Immortals.”
Steven Cohen, Executive Vice President of The Anschutz Corporation, Chief Strategy Officer for AEG, and a member of Immortals’ Board of Directors added: “Our management team, the Board of Directors and our investors are in complete alignment with respect to the business plan and vision for Immortals, its role in esports and the prospects of esports generally going forward. Since its inception, Immortals has demonstrated success through execution, strategic decision-making and access to capital, and a combination of unique qualities bound together by the highly collaborative dynamic between the management team and the board. Immortals is wholly dedicated to qualitatively and quantitatively expanding the esports environment for fans, players, publishers and partners. We look forward to continuing to deliver value to our investors and partners and as importantly a best-in-class experience to our great fans by bringing our expertise to bear and working with our partners in Overwatch, DOTA 2, CS:GO, Smash and future games we are starting to pursue in earnest, being true to the DNA of Immortals’ endemic roots along the way.”
Esports Insider says: Sad times for Immortals as they don’t retain an LCS spot. It was met with shock and outrage when it was previously reported, but as per usual Noah is the epitome of professional in his response. We wish the LA based organisation all the best in their future ventures. Who knows, maybe the EU LCS is an area they’ll look to explore?