Karmine Corp confirmed the acquisition of Astralis’ spot in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) today, where the French organization will make its debut in 2024.
The organization attempted to enter the LEC in late 2022 but wasn’t accepted by Riot Games, leaving fans curious about the circumstances behind the decision. Less than a year later, though, Karmine Corp’s co-owner Kamel “Kameto” Kebir started hinting at the possibility of a dream coming true and soon announced the news every KC fan had been hoping for.
Founded in March 2020 by Twitch streamers Kameto and Zouhair “Kotei” Darji, Karmine Corp rapidly ascended through the ranks of the national French league, the LFL, securing two championships and clinching four EMEA Masters tournaments. The organization boasts a “wall” of passionate fans who made up the majority of the crowd at the 2023 LEC Season Finals in Montpellier and is now sure to closely follow the European league.
But for every newcomer in the LEC, there’s a historic organization leaving, and now it’s Astralis’ time to depart. The organization ventured into the LEC after acquiring Origen, a team that had been a part of the European league since 2015 and rebranded in 2020. Now, after only three years, Astrails is bidding farewell to the LEC.
Astralis’ three-season run consisted of mixed performances, with the team’s best finish coming in the 2023 LEC Spring Groups, where they secured second place. Their last split was marked by an early exit and the inability to accumulate enough Championship Points signaled their absence from the LEC Season Finals, thus concluding their journey in the LEC.
In announcing the departure of Astralis, Riot also confirmed that all players under the organization will become free agents as of the start of the upcoming offseason.
“Astralis has been a valued partner to us throughout its time in the LEC, and we wish the organization the very best with its future endeavors,” said Maximilian Peter Schmidt, director of League of Legends Esports EMEA at Riot. “But we know its spot will be in capable hands with Karmine Corp.” Schmidt then underlined the anticipation surrounding Karmine Corp’s entry, especially in France, whose community has consistently been “one of the loudest and most passionate” in the EMEA region, according to Riot.
Notably, Karmine Corp had been trying to join the LEC since last year, but at the time, the organization didn’t meet all the requirements. According to Riot, the LEC’s thorough evaluation process includes assessing prospective teams’ ownership, brand strength, fandom, business history, objectives, and player development strategies. Based on these criteria, decisions are made, either accepting applicants or exercising the right to veto based on various aspects of their application. The selling team, in this case, Astralis, held the decisive power in choosing the new owner of its spot, while Riot had the veto power to put a hold on transactions if Karmine Corp didn’t align with the established criteria for partnered organizations, according to Riot.
While the LEC community stands to gain from Karmine Corp’s inclusion, as its presence and past performances promise to usher in a new era of excitement among fans of the competition, their presence in the French ERL will not subside. In fact, Riot confirmed that Karmine Corp will also continue to compete in the LFL while participating in the LEC and its LFL roster will serve as an academy team, focusing on nurturing emerging talents within the esports community.
The stage is set for an exciting new chapter in the EMEA esports ecosystem. And while Karmine Corp’s 2024 LEC roster still remains a mystery, fans can already anticipate intense rivalries as the unrelenting support of the team’s passionate fan base rises from the ERL landscape to conquer the international competition—all of which will contribute to the league’s continued growth and success.
