TSM confirms it's moving to a new region

William Davis Published 21/05/2023

TSM’s owner Andy “Reginald” Dinh, confirmed through Twitter that TSM is officially moving to a new region.

After months of rumors about TSM’s departure from the LCS, it has finally been confirmed by the team.

“Since the beginning, TSM has always been about competing at the highest level and really sacrificing whatever it takes to get there. We mainly did it out of passion, the money wasn’t even enough for us to buy a bed, and we ate at 7/11 every day, but that was also during the time when I had the most fun, and I want to go back to that type of decision-making. I want to do what it takes to be the best,” Dinh said on the video.

According to the CEO, it is not a sudden decision, and the organization has been working towards this for the past three years.

Why is TSM leaving the LCS?

There are several reasons why TSM is departing from the LCS. The organization has failed to find success in recent years, domestically and internationally. The team cites that competitiveness is the main reason for the move, but it might not be the only one.

Back in March, TSM made public its decision to put a pause on all its esports efforts and focus on its tech branch. At the time, people believed it was due to financial struggles caused by the loss of its $210 million sponsorship by FTX. Knowing the team’s plan to move its main property to another region, it is possible that TSM is looking for a clean slate.

It is also not a secret how expensive it is to operate an organization in North America. The LCS has some of the highest salaries in League of Legends, on top of a higher cost of living for organizations that are forced to base their operations in California.

Where is TSM going next?

There are only three possible destinations for TSM, the LEC, the LPL, or the LCK. What TSM has in its favor is brand recognition and a massive fan base. Even during MSI 2023, fans have been chanting TSM’s name non-stop. That is enough to increase the team’s value.

There are two possible outcomes, either TSM sells its LCS slot and purchases a new or the brand is acquired by new ownership. Considering TSM’s goal to win Worlds, the team might want a region with a well-established talent development pipeline. It is not unlikely for the team to land in the LPL. The LPL has 17 teams with plans to increase that number in the near future.

TSM wouldn’t be the first foreign team to move to the LPL. Ninjas in Pyjamas currently competes in the LPL after acquiring Victory Five’s slot.

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