In an extensive interview with David Szajnuk, T1 CEO Joe Marsh talked about the team’s future, Faker’s retirement, esports, and much more.
In an interview with the YouTuber David Szajnuk, CEO Joe Marsh went through T1's impact on League of Legends and in esports, as well as Zeus' departure from the official roaster, Doran's arrival, esports celebrities, minor regions, fandoms, content creator, and much more. Let's dive into some of the interesting points of the interview.
The biggest issues in League of Legends
CEO Joe Marsh, part of the T1 family since 2019, talked about how hard it is to find and select talent among the youth players since there's been a decrease in the number of players. "There haven't been many kids to come up recently in the new wave of talent, not only in our region, I think it's across the board", he commented.
Another problem the CEO pointed out was the level of production invested in League of Legends which did not always come back to the teams. "We are producing a level of quality for a free product, that is always going to be free, it's too much sometimes". Marsh explained how important was to build a sustainable business, investing in the content, community trust, fandom support, and players well being during the whole process.
Zeus vs Doran: "I wish Zeus nothing but the best"
About one of the hottest topics at the moment, Zeus' departure from T1 and the replacement with Doran (previously top-laner of Hanwha Life Esports), Marsh wished Zeus all the luck in this bright future. "I wish Zeus nothing but the best". CEO explained how everyone made Doran feel welcome, who was very interested in joining T1's team. Integrating Doran into their dynamic was not difficult and Zeus' departure made a hole that they tried to prevent as much as they could, but, after all, they are happy that Zeus is happy with his choice. Marsh also used the example of players who ended up coming back to the team.
"Faker transcended esports"
When we talk about esports celebrities, it's impossible not to think about Faker's impact on the visibility of esports and League of Legends. "We're selling a lifestyle and these guys are superstars, they're true celebrities". He expressed how important is to dedicate time to understand the players, to let them thrive and grow with each other as well as to guarantee that they can, individually, be well, healthy, and strongminded to every challenge they're into. He even said: "Gumayusi has the strongest mental I've seen" and how impactful that can be to the team synergy.
"Faker transcended esports" as a whole, he brought an attention League of Legends has never had. With attention came the fandom support. "It's not only about having a super team. It's about having a fandom once you win". Marsh talked about how important was not only to win tournaments but also to maintain fandom support, to give them a reason to support you. "Our fandom is passionate" and that is indispensable.
You can't play the Korean style against them [LCK teams], we set the meta, you've got to do better.
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The importance of minor region storytelling
"Riot has to do a better job of storytelling, of not making everything about us and him [Faker]", Marsh commented. From this perspective, is also important to tell minor region's stories, to give them a chance to thrive in the esports paradigm. This is not only to provide them with a chance to play often with bigger teams but also to let them build consistent fanbases. He expressed the importance of "starting small" and being original in their battles against bigger teams - like FlyQuest proved to be against Gen.G in LoL Worlds 2024.
He advises Riot Games to invest in minor regions more instead of segregating them from the main regions. "You need to tell those stories without the looming of T1". The company has to understand that telling these regions' stories will not only help them but will also bring more visibility and revenue from them.
Content creation vs esports
T1 CEO talked about how different esports is now and how important is to players, organizations, and companies to adapt. "This is not the same game it was 20 years ago", he said. We also went through the content creation world and the fact that "most of the players aren't content machines" and we can't require that from them. Faker, for example, "is a pro at [League of Legends] content but you wouldn't say he's the most engaging, he has his own style".
Are we ready for a world without Faker?
"We hope that time is further away than we think", the T1 CEO says. The next T1 event will be the Red Bull of Its Own on December 15 in Paris, France. We'll be seeing T1 play against many European teams such as G2 Esports, Karmine Corp, and most recently Los Ratones.
That's all for now. Stick around for more League of Legends news and updates on esports.gg.
