South Korean company SK Telecom, owners of three-time League of Legends World Champions SK Telecom T1, have announced the launch of their joint venture with Comcast Spectacor: T1 Entertainment & Sports.
The move that was announced in February has finally received all necessary approvals to officially begin operations. Ahead of the announcement, the team has already rebranded to T1 and unveiled the slick new design on twitter
Fans of League of Legends will already be familiar with SK Telecom as they are the largest mobile operator in South Korea. They have also sponsored the dominant force in League of Legends over the years, fielding some of the best players to ever play the game such as Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. Faker is currently competing in the games annual World Championship in hopes of winning his fourth title.
SK Telecom’s history in esports goes even further back than that, with the company being among the most prominent sponsors in Korea’s vibrant StarCraft: Brood War scene.
Comcast Spectacor is part of the Comcast Corporation and owns a portfolio of professional sports and esports teams such as the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and the Overwatch League’s Philadelphia Fusion.
T1’s new website confirms the expansion beyond League of Legends and into other competitive titles including Fortnite, Dota 2, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Hearthstone, and Apex Legends, cementing T1 as a truly global esports brand;
“Building upon the rich legacy of SKT T1, T1 will expand its teams globally, celebrate new victories, and create even more opportunities for fans to embrace T1’s gaming culture, content, and players in every corner of the world,” the team said.
CEO of SK Telecom Park Jung-ho is confident that the new venture will continue the high standards of excellence for competition that fans have come to expect from the brand:
“We’re excited to contribute this legacy to form a premier esports organization with Comcast Spectacor to expand globally and grow the business in new directions. This marks a significant step for SK Telecom’s esports business and we are very excited for the future of T1,” Jung-ho said.
T1 currently sit in first place at the 2019 League of Legends World Championship after the conclusion of the first round-robin of the group stage. Their next match will be against Fnatic on October 19.
