Introduction: The S15 season has officially started, and it’s believed that the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent confrontations. Matches across all major regions are fiercely competitive. Judging by the current overall landscape, the LCK region is still the world’s premier league, and T1’s results remain outstanding. Just lately, the T1 team owner’s comments have triggered heated debates across the internet. In an interview, he openly stated that the amount of Saudi investment cannot be disclosed but is unprecedentedly large. From the T1 sponsorship list, it’s evident that this investment surpasses even the SK company. The team owner even mentioned that Faker might continue playing until he is 50 or 60 years old.

Faker might play until he is 50 years old

Most players are quite familiar with the T1 team. As longtime rivals from the LPL region, their overall achievements have been remarkable. Over the years, they have won multiple World Championships, and their mid-laner Faker has become a five-time world champion, undeniably the number one player in the league. This season, T1’s results have fluctuated somewhat, but their overall ranking remains very high. After the third split began, they even broke Gen.G’s winning streak. At present, T1 is still a strong contender for this World Championship title. Despite losing Zeus, Doran has integrated very quickly.

As the competition progresses, T1’s popularity continues to rise. The team recently announced Faker’s four-year contract extension, delighting many fans. In a recent interview, T1’s owner openly addressed the Saudi royal sponsorship. He expressed how fortunate they are to cooperate with the Crown Prince and how happy they feel. Although the exact amount cannot be fully disclosed, this sponsorship is the largest cooperation to date. Therefore, T1 awarded the highest-level main sponsor status. According to the official sponsor list, Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship ranks first this time, with the parent company SK only in second place.

It’s clear that this time the investment is enormous; otherwise, they wouldn’t have extended Faker’s contract for four years all at once. In this response, the T1 owner also mentioned that the esports industry is divided by viewer regions; some markets are expanding while others are stagnating or declining. They aim to preserve the League of Legends esports ecosystem permanently through their own efforts. Maybe Faker could really play until he is 50 or 60! This statement surprised many fans. Could this be T1’s ultimate goal? Faker is already in his thirties and thinking about retirement, but it seems the team management intends to keep him tied down, not letting him go easily.

Netizens also found a humorous image of Faker at age 61 holding his 61st championship trophy. It shows that the esports industry’s development is still not very healthy, relying mainly on star players with large followings. Once these players leave, the entire esports sector experiences significant fluctuations. Just like in the LPL region: when Uzi was active, the league’s popularity was very high; after he left, many viewers left as well. This time, IG’s roster rebuild quickly revived the LPL’s popularity, mainly thanks to the fame of TheShy and Rookie.

Goodbye thoughts

Who would have thought that the T1 team owner would say something like this — that Faker could play until 50 or 60? Honestly, will Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok still be able to see the screen clearly by then? It can only be said that the Saudi Crown Prince genuinely hopes for a healthy development of the esports industry. However, it remains uncertain whether this massive investment will pay off or go to waste. It’s obvious that the current state of esports development is not good; now it depends on the management.

What do you, the audience, think about this matter?