Former League of Legends world champion Bae ‘Bang’ Jun-sik has returned to T1 as a streamer.
Bang will stream League of Legends content on his own CHZZK channel while under the banner of the Korean esports organisation.
Launched in December 2023 following Twitch departing South Korea, CHZZK is a streaming platform operated by online company Naver. At the time, Twitch also received a 435m won (~£239,611) fine from the Korean Telecommunications Commission (KCC).
With Twitch no longer operating in the country, CHZZK has grown significantly becoming one of the largest streaming platforms in South Korea.
Bang becomes the eighth content creator on T1’s roster. He joins former League of Legends player Lee ‘Flame ‘Ho-jong who spent his playing career competing in the LCS (Now LTA North), LCK and LPL.
Several esports organisations field a roster of content creators who represent the team in influencer-focused events, sponsorship integrations and other activations.
Bang retired from League of Legends in May 2023 after a year and three-month stint competing for T1.
Known for his time in the bot lane, Bang is a two-time world champion, winning the tournament in 2015 and 2016 with T1. In addition to Worlds, he won the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) which was his last major accolade.
Alongside his tournament victories, Bang is the third player to reach 1,500 kills in the LCK, Korea’s top tier of League of Legends esports. He joins T1 mid-laner and part-owner Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok and Kim ‘PraY’ Jong-in as the other players who have recorded such an achievement.
Moreover, following nearly five years at T1, Bang went on to compete in the LCS with Evil Geniuses and 100 Thieves. After a spell with Afreeca Freecs in 2022, the player returned from pro play. This isn’t the first time that Bang has been involved with T1 as a streamer, in 2022 he joined the organisation in a similar capacity before leaving in 2023.
Outside of Bang’s return to T1, the organisation is looking to expand its operations. In November 2024, it announced it is looking to raise $35m (~£27.6m) to expand its Base Camp, a Seoul-based gaming café. It was the first time T1 has sought to raise capital since the organisation introduced the T1 brand in 2019.