The "unsolved mystery" of IG revealed

With the release of IG’s annual documentary, IG players have often trended online. Initially, THESHY was questioned by many T1 fans over his responses to two major controversies. Later, ROOKIE responded in an interview about the "dispute details" he had with JIEJIE at IG. I personally watched TheShy's interview and feel it’s normal for him to have some resentment after the match, since if there had been no equipment issues in the first game, IG likely would have won that game. If IG had won the first game against T1, they probably would have pushed the series to a full BO5.

ROOKIE’s interview was also quite interesting. At first, fans only guessed a conflict between ROOKIE and JIEJIE based on a post-match photo, but no one could confirm it. So many IG fans wanted to know the truth behind that picture. ROOKIE admitted in the interview that he often argued with teammates about match-related issues at IG, but he considers this a normal part of professional play. (Many viewers agree with ROOKIE’s statement, especially since even six-time champion Faker has said in interviews that he frequently debates with support player KkOma over match matters.)

ROOKIE confirmed not resting next season

As ROOKIE frequently appeared in trending topics, many fans wondered if he would continue playing next year. Recently, LPL champion coach Zhu Kai revealed that ROOKIE will definitely compete next year and called the rumor of ROOKIE taking a break false. Just recently, ROOKIE himself posted that he will participate in the LPL All-Star exhibition match. After ROOKIE personally announced his return, many IG fans felt reassured, believing that having ROOKIE as mid laner gives IG hope to reach the playoffs.

Finally, during a livestream, Zhu Kai hinted that TheShy is preparing to rest next season and that IG coach Dan Shen is set to join BLG. It’s worth noting that Dan Shen previously declined to join BLG because there was a possibility of TheShy returning. But after Zhu Kai revealed Dan Shen’s move to BLG, many TheShy fans felt hopeless, thinking TheShy might stop competing altogether. (What do you think about TheShy’s future in competition? I personally noticed that TheShy’s IP is still in Korea—could it be he won’t even participate in the All-Star event?)

LPL’s poor results blamed on fans not paying

In recent years, LPL has been repeatedly dominated by LCK during world championships, leaving many fans confused about why LPL’s performance is declining. Former LPL coach Hanyi admitted during Zhu Kai’s livestream that LPL currently lacks a “paying spirit.” Hanyi suggested that LPL should learn from traditional sports and have fans subscribe to watch matches, which would greatly increase revenue for both LPL teams and the league. Additionally, paid viewing could help filter out casual viewers and trolls, which would benefit LPL’s overall environment.

Of course, many LPL fans criticized Hanyi’s remarks, since LPL is not completely dead yet and is still free to watch. Many believe that if LPL dared to charge for viewing, its popularity would drop sharply, possibly leading to its downfall. Zhu Kai also denied Hanyi’s suggestion during his livestream, saying that given LPL’s poor results, fans are unlikely to pay. Zhu Kai believes that for paid viewing to work, LPL must be the number one region in LoL and win world championships consistently.

Conclusion

The current situation in LPL is indeed a bit bleak, but I don’t think it’s largely related to the fans. Rather, LPL’s underperformance has caused fans to become increasingly disappointed. If LPL had won a world championship in recent years, the overall environment would definitely improve. What do you think about whether LPL will adopt a “paid viewing” model?