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After six years of being a part of the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), Misfits Gaming has sold its spot to the Spanish organization Team Heretics and will be bidding adieu to the LEC next year. Additionally, Misfits will also be quitting from the Ligue Française de League of Legends (LFL), marking the organization’s departure from the competitive League of Legends scene. Team Heretics will have no control over Misfits’ roster, staff, or organization until the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Misfits, in a release, stated that the transaction will go into effect for the 2023 season with Misfits Gaming Group (MGG) remaining a minority partner in the team. This move comes as MGG continues the expansion of a larger strategy to invest more in creators alongside esports. The organization confirmed that it will continue to field its teams in Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Valorant.
LoL Esports welcomes Team Heretics
League of Legends Esports (LoL Esports) welcomed the newest member of the LEC, Team Heretics, one of the most popular esports organizations in Spain. Riot Games said it was excited to see what the future holds for Heretics and added, “As excited as we are to welcome Team Heretics to the LEC, we’re sad to see Misfits team leave. They have been a core part of the European League of Legends scene since their inception in 2016, and have given us more unforgettable upsets than any other team in the league. We want to thank Misfits Gaming for an amazing five years competing in the LEC and for being a fantastic partner.”
Future of Misfits Gaming’s League of Legends pros
Riot Games stated that Misfits Gaming Group owned the player contracts until the end of the season and that there would be no direct impact until the sale takes effect at the start of the Free Agency period in November. Misfits confirmed that as per Riot’s rules, players will not automatically be transferred, and it will be up to Team Heretics to pick its roster.
Ben Spoont, co-founder and CEO of MGG, said, “It’s bittersweet to know that our mission to diversify means that we cannot be in all places at once and we’re sad to say so long to the loving camaraderie and competitiveness of the LEC, but we did not make this decision lightly and ran an exhaustive process vetting numerous interested offer parties and came to the decision that Team Heretics was the right selection to continue on as responsible stewards of the League.”
As confirmed by Riot Games, MGG is entitled to all proceeds from the transfer of its right of participation in the league. The LEC will not receive any of the proceeds from the deal.
