Misfits is leaving the LEC and LoL esports, here’s what we know

The 2023 LEC season will look a bit different, as the Misfits organization has confirmed that it is transferring its franchise spot to Team Heretics.

Misfits is set to downsize significantly, with the organization set to leave League of Legends entirely. This includes its LEC franchise as well as the Misfits Premier academy team in the LFL. The name and branding will remain in place through the end of the season, at which point the brand will dissolve.

Per Riot Games’ standards, all contracts attached to the current Misfits rosters will be dissolved and the Misfits players will become free agents. This will put a lot of talent into the free agent market for the 2023 season.

What happened to Misfits in the LEC?

Misfits is set to leave League of Legends entirely at the end of the 2022 esports season, which concludes with the 2022 League of Legends World Championship. After that point, the organization will transfer its franchise to Team Heretics, release its full roster, and disband the Misfits Premier academy team.

Misfits announced on its website that it will remain a minority owner of the franchise but the branding and control of the team will go to Team Heretics.

“For [Misfits Gaming Group], the move continues an additional step in a larger strategy to expand more of its focus on fueling creative talent alongside fielding competitive teams.  MGG has increased its emphasis on partnering with top creators from the gaming and streaming community and working with them to build projects they’re passionate about,” Misfits said in a statement.

The implication from Misfits is that the capital received from this franchise transfer would fuel other efforts in the realm of content creation. The organization specifically cited a new Minecraft server it has opened.

Misfits explicitly noted that it remains a part of the Overwatch League and Call of Duty with the Florida Mayhem and Florida Mutineers esports franchises, respectively. Misfits will also retain its team in Valorant.

Who is Team Heretics?

Team Heretics is an esports organization based in Spain that has been competing in a variety of esports including Counter-Strike, Fortnite, and Valorant. It competed in League of Legends in 2017 but left after one year. It returned in 2022 with a spot in the LVP Superliga, one of Europe’s minor professional leagues.

Its most successful recent efforts in esports have been in Valorant, in which Team Heretics won First Strike Europe in 2020 and was a top team in the region until 2021.

The pivot to the LEC marks a significant boost to the relevance of Team Heretics and represents a yearlong effort by the organization to get into the league. Prior to purchasing the Misfits LEC slot, Heretics was previously discussed as a candidate to buy the franchise spot of FC Schalke 04.