People can't compete forever. This is true even for traditional sports but it hurts a little more seeing professionals you've grown up with hang up their mantle. Esports, in general, has had many players enter retirement due to a number of circumstances but for me as someone who formally followed esports in 2014, a lot of my “old friends” are leaving. What's worrisome is not those that have left but what their exit signifies in the esports world specifically in this new age of League of Legends.
Something's gotta break in League of Legends
Esports is a cutthroat industry with players pouring their hearts out for the games they love. It's unthinkable that any player in any title could reach the highest stage without undying passion. It's true for the world champions of our time and it's true for those with no titles to speak of. Unfortunately, all roads have to end and all esports careers have a final game.
The final game came all too soon for two of NA's strongest and iconic players. Yilliang “Doublelift” Peng and Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg bid farewell to the competitive stage this past month and they are sorely missed. The twin-retirements announcement was a one-two punch to the gut of Team SoloMid fans and NA League of Legends fans. Both exiting players shined brightest in what can be considered as NA's silver age. They found success in the mid-2010s as the older pioneers of the region made their exits. Doublelift and Bjergsen found monumental success with TSM despite the former's roster changes. The twin damage aces of TSM exit the stage with no world champions to their name but they are survived with a lasting legacy and hundreds of thousands of supporters.
It's comforting, at the very least, to know that these two exiting players can go out at a somewhat high point in their careers having won the 2020 Summer NA LCS title. Pro players continue competing until their skills deteriorate to the point where they're forced to retire. No one wants to see that. If a player should retire even without a world championship, it's best to go out on a high. Unfortunately, many players like Thresh hook-master Hong “MadLife” Min-gi and 2013 world champion Carry Chae “Piglet” Gwang-jin cling to the game despite decaying skills.
The gates are open
Player retirement gives rise to the question of which player will follow the trend. Doublelift famously contemplated his own retirement in the two weeks following Bjergsen's announcement. Icons exiting the competition can have untold effects on any number of players internationally. Of course, there's no way to tell which player's close to retiring until we hear actual announcements. Cloud9's very own star Carry Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi silently entered retirement at the start of 2020 with little-to-no fanfare. It seems as though NA is slowly gaining a reputation of becoming a pro-player retirement home.
It's safe to assume that players without world champions have more reason to entire retirement. The inverse case is a little more complicated if we take a look at many world champions. First season world champion Enrique “xPeke” Cedeño Martínez retired in a respectable fashion. xPeke won a world championship title in 2011 and went on to compete admirably up until 2015. He made his exit eventually but only after creating the esports organization Origen. As far as retirements go, creating your own organization is definitely not bad. He is perhaps the only player to ever create his own esports organization. The third season world champion Jeong “Impact” Eon-yeong found success following his 2013 title win. Impact is now one of the many iconic NA players after winning multiple titles.
It's true that famous player retirements are saddening although not entirely surprising. The looming question then becomes, when does a successful player exit the scene? Or, more importantly, when does the game's best player choose to hang up his gaming keyboard and mice?
League of Legends' favored son
Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok is one of the game's only three-time world champion but he needs no introduction. He is without a doubt the world's best League of Legends player. Unfortunately, the Unkillable Demon King has not made a finals appearance in 3 years. It's hard to discount his amazing feats in the past but he has not come close to a fourth Summoner's Cup since his crushing defeat in 2017. He has been recently gaining popularity as a League of Legends streamer which is fine but it's not what we expect from the world's best player. Currently, there isn't even a professional player in any esports title that holds three world champions. Faker holds that distinction but it won't be long until that record is shattered. Dota 2's Johan “N0tail” Sundstein in particular is close to reaching three titles himself but that's neither here nor there.
Faker has played at the highest stage of LOL since he debuted in 2013. He's taken a bit of a dip that began in 2017 but he's still a dangerous player in his own right. His latest attempt at Worlds ended in the first instance of an EU team beating a Korean team in the Worlds playoffs since 2013. It's not a good look for someone trying to cement their legacy in the game further. However, that only holds true if Faker still got the fourth title. Realistically speaking, Faker could retire today and it would be sad, yes, but it would not at all be unfounded. Faker has three world titles! No person in the world can fault him for that. Unfortunately for Faker and many players, the longer they stay in the game, the more likely their skills will decay in front of a grand audience.
It's time to say goodbye
No one wants to see a powerless Faker. That would be too heartbreaking for any League fan. It would be great if Faker still had one world championship win in him, but there has to be a point of introspection. It's the ultimate mark of any professional to know when to call it quits. Hopefully, Faker finds that point in himself as he continues to bet it all on the game he loves.
There's a bright side to all this talk of players leaving the spotlight. The exit of such great players gives the proper space for new talent to flourish. There is no shortage of talent in esports. New players will always rise to the challenge to continue the fight in honor of their predecessors. Just like Doublelift, Bjergsen, Sneaky, Faker, and many others did for the players before them, we will gain new champions for League in the future.
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