T1 to join Overwatch Contenders Korea in 2020, replace Fusion U

Tom Beer • December 3, 22:36

T1 will be joining the Overwatch Contenders Korea in 2020

Formerly known as SK Telecom T1, the recently rebranded T1 announced on Twitter that they have begun to recruit players and coaches to form a team to play in the Overwatch Contenders Korea league in 2020. The legendary esports organization is looking for any interested Grandmasters players with a minimum of 4300 SR to apply for both online and offline tryouts and interviews.

“As we begin to build our roster, we encourage all interested coaches and players from all parts of the globe to apply,” the team said.

Overwatch Contenders is a tournament series for players and teams who wish to progress to the Overwatch League. Contenders is split into eight regions where teams compete in two seasons per year, complete with qualifying trials, regular season group stages, and seasonal playoffs.

T1 will be taking the Contenders spot from the academy team of the OWL’s Philadelphia Fusion, Fusion University, after that team failed to replicate their North American Contenders success after moving to Korea in the second half of 2019.

T1 is a jointly owned venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor, who also own Fusion University. None of the team members or coaches will be transitioning over to the T1 roster as the organization will completely rebrand and build a new roster from scratch.

The South Korean esports giant is one of the most recognizable names in the whole of esports and one that is synonymous with success. Over almost two decades, the brand has competed across such games as StarCraft: Brood War and League of Legends, with multiple world championships to the team’s credit.

Overwatch fans will be hoping the brand brings some stability to the second tier of the game’s pro competition, as well as new fans who follow T1 to whichever game they play. With T1 clearly making a sizeable investment to the scene, it is likely they are here to stay and will be hoping to maintain their high standards of success.