CLG likely to shut down, exiting esports entirely

William Davis Published 04/04/2023

Esports may say goodbye to another iconic name soon, with CLG allegedly preparing to shut down entirely.

The esports industry continues to stumble in 2023, with multiple high-profile sponsorship deals and team partnerships continuing to fall through. CLG may be next, according to unconfirmed reports by established LoL journalist Travis Gafford. The company itself has not acknowledged these rumors, but it wouldn’t be out of place in the industry’s current economic landscape.

According to Gafford, CLG employees were informed on March 3, 2023 that the company would be laying off the entirety of its staff on April 6. The major exception will be its League of Legends team, which could be sold to NRG or another competing esports sponsor. It’s not yet known if such a deal would include CLG’s Challenger and Faith squads or only the LCS roster.

CLG participates in over a dozen competitive titles, but the sponsor’s most famous esports team is its iconic LCS squad. The team has won multiple LCS playoff events and frequently placed highly in the North American league. CLG also sponsors players in Apex Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike, and a variety of fighting games. All of those players will need to find a new sponsor or career if the shutdown rumors are true.

This news comes just a few days after the reveal that fellow North American esports org TSM would be shuttering most of its esports operations, including selling its LCS slot. With these two changes, the North American LoL circuit will look very different in the future.

What happens to CLG esports teams if the company shuts down?

With the exception of its LCS roster, the future of CLG’s various esports teams are looking grim.

Outside of its LCS players and staff, CLG currently sponsors 48 players, coaches, and content creators across several competitive titles. All of them will effectively lose their jobs if CLG truly does shut down on Thursday. That doesn’t include the organization’s non-esports staff, which includes dozens of designers, directors, managers, copywriters, and more.

The obvious route would be to find a home with another esports organization, but it’s not going to be as simple as sending in an application. The esports world is struggling to maintain funding in the current economic climate. Adding another team could be a tall order for CLG’s competitors.

Hopefully, the players and staff affected by CLG’s shuttering will land on their feet, in esports or otherwise.

Read Also

League of Legends

Caps Hall of Legends skins prices and dates revealed Hannan Mundia Caps is the latest League of Legends player to be inducted into the Hall of Legends, and the LEC player’s dedicated skins have been revealed, including their prices and release dates. The Hall of Legends is Riot Games’ way to honor a handful of the most well-known and celebrated professional players associated with LoL. The first inductee was naturally Faker, while the second was Uzi. The third player is Caps, ...

League of Legends

Five Support Champions To Pick Up in LoL Patch 26.17 Ben Boland The support meta in League of Legends is one of the most highly discussed roles in the game right now. With Riot doubling down on the roaming support playstyle, we will likely see more champions added to the pool around the time of Worlds 2026, which begins on 15 October. At the time of writing this article, the current patch, 26.17, is being tested on the PBE, with the launch ...

League of Legends

These Are Five Top Lane Champions To Pick Up in League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland League of Legends patch 26.17 is just around the corner, and with that patch comes more changes to the role. The days of ADCs in the lane are starting to be a thing of the past, with more bruisers hitting the gym before the launch of 26.17. Many top laners are receiving buffs on the new patch, while powerhouses such as Nasus and Vayne are on the chopping block, making ...

League of Legends

Here Is What To Expect From the League of Legends Patch 26.17 Ben Boland It’s less than a week until the release of League of Legends Patch 26.17, and with this patch comes some significant nerfs to popular champions, item adjustments, and targeting roaming supports as mage bottom lanes dominate the meta. While there is plenty to unpack in this week's patch from Riot Games, two champions, Vayne and Xerath, have received the biggest nerfs across the board. Here are some of the biggest ...

League of Legends

Trade on LGD vs Bilibili Gaming at Polymarket — Use Promo Code WINGGPREMAR Ben Boland Bilibili Gaming comes into their best-of-three series against LGD Gaming as the overwhelming favorites, with Polymarket traders giving the MSI finalists an 83% implied probability of winning at the time of writing this article. The prediction market doesn’t give LGD much of a chance at all, and with traders backing BLG heavily, it paints a picture of who is most likely to win this series in the LPL Split 3, ...

League of Legends

Which Teams Should Be Panicking Ahead of LoL Worlds 2026? Ben Boland The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is fast approaching, with the tournament beginning on 15 October. 19 of the best teams that esports has to offer will do battle in North America for a shot at the Summoner's Cup. For teams like Bilibili Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, their fates are already sealed without stepping foot on the Rift again, but for the rest of the teams, they will ...

League of Legends

Predictions For Gen.G vs Dplus KIA: Best Value Odds at GGBET Ben Boland Two of the more in-form teams in the LCK go head-to-head as Dplus KIA takes on Gen.G on 22 August. Despite the odds leaning more towards a Gen.G win, there are some solid bets to make across the board, not just simply the result. Dplus KIA have shown impressive form throughout the summer and so shouldn’t be discounted in this series. In this preview, we will highlight the best chances to ...