When Team Dignitas’ second League of Legends team qualified for the League Championship Series (LCS) on Aug. 12, it was an important moment in the organization’s history. But Riot Games prohibits an organization from fielding two teams in the LCS. And that means Dignitas now has a tough decision to make: which team should it sell?
The organization is best known for its North American team, which has been in the LCS since its inception in February 2013. But since Dignitas is based in the U.K., the success of its European squad presents an interesting conundrum. And last night on a talk show with the Daily Dot’s Richard Lewis, Dignitas owner Michael “ODEE” O’Dell announced that the team will be taking offers for both of its teams, but will only sell one.
The organization plans to take bids for both LCS spots throughout September, beginning after this weekend’s 2016 Promotion Tournament, O’Dell said. The fate of both League of Legends teams depends solely on the quality of the offers he receives and whether he feels he can trust the people behind them to operate a successful team. On the show, O’Dell mentioned that the travel difference may be enough to sway his decision to sell the North American team, but it truly depends on what offers he receives.
O’Dell says he plans to make his decision by the end of September—giving the sold team’s new owner four months to prepare for the 2016 season.
The American squad’s history extends all the way back to September 2011, when O’Dell’s organization acquired team Rock Solid. Since then, all of the original Rock Solid members have retired from the game competitively and Dignitas made a number of roster changes.
This is the second time in the game’s competitive history that an organization has been faced with the choice of selling one of its squads. Last year, Team Curse owner Steve “LiQuiD112” Arhancet had to sell one of his teams after his Challenger squad qualified for the LCS via the 2016 Spring Expansion Tournament. That choice was easy for Arhancet: He’d managed the team for years and had close relationships with the its players and staff. He ultimately sold the Challenger squad to a young entrepreneur Davis “Samurai” Vague.
Photo via Riot Games/Flickr | Remix by Jacob Wolf
