The next EU LCS franchise has been revealed
A sixth EU LCS franchise has been revealed, while three more teams have had their applications denied.
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Astralis, as reported by ESPN’s Jacob Wolf, is the latest team to gain acceptance into the newly franchised EU LCS and will join G2 Esports, Fnatic, Misfits, Schalke 04 Esports, and Team Vitality as the first six teams for the league set to kick off in 2019.
The EU LCS is the latest League of Legends region to adopt the franchise model, following in the footsteps of the NA LCS and China’s LPL who adopted the model earlier in 2018.
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Best known for their dominant Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, Astralis is the first what is expected to be five new teams entering the EU LCS in 2019. It also marks the organization’s first venture into a major esport outside of CS:GO.
Notably, Astralis’ application to the league was reportedly headlined by popular commentator Martin ‘Deficio’ Lynge. He will now face a crossroads as he won’t be able to maintain his post as a commentator for the league if he wishes to assume a major role with the organization moving forward.
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Astralis now have to pay Riot Games 10.5 million euros ($12.07 million) over a multi-year period to secure their franchise slot.
While Astralis fans are surely happy about the news, fans of Giants Gaming, Unicorns of Love, and Team ROCCAT won’t be as happy with Wolf’s latest report.
The organizations have joined the likes of Splyce and H2K Gaming as teams denied franchising by Riot Games. The teams will be paid a “significant exit payment” that is made up of funds the league acquires from the additional 2.5 million euros ($2.87 million) paid by incoming teams.
A total of 10 teams will eventually be accepted into the franchised league, with four spots still remaining.
