LPL News Reveals “Outrageous” Salary Levels of a Superstar Player
LPL has started applying a new salary cap, alongside achieving significant milestones in the international arena over the years, making the League of Legends scene in the region increasingly competitive. However, there are still a few players who are experiencing exorbitant salary levels, like Knight – a mid-laner at Bilibili Gaming.
According to LPL news, Knight’s current salary is the highest across the entire professional League of Legends ecosystem in China. At the same time, his earnings are reported to be equivalent to at least 5 times the lowest salary in LPL. This information has sparked considerable debate within the Chinese League of Legends community.
“In LPL, evaluating talent and professionalism is difficult for anyone to compare with Knight, so this salary level is reasonable,” commented a fan. However, there are also differing opinions saying: “Knight hasn’t achieved any impressive accomplishments on the international stage, aside from one MSI last year. So what about Xiaohu?”
Additionally, JDG’s management revealed that Knight was once offered a salary of 46 million NDT over 3 years (approximately 6 million USD – 161 billion VND) in 2021. Naturally, this salary for superstar players is not too surprising. However, considering the current LPL landscape, which is facing “dwindling expectations,” the reality is quite stark. Furthermore, in 2021, Knight only played in the secondary league, not having any notable achievements in his career yet.
Is LPL on the Brink of Collapse?
From Knight’s salary, one can see a significant disparity between top teams and the remaining teams in LPL. Just recently, three teams have submitted applications for relegation. Among them, Rare Atom has already “taken flight.”
Recent transfer news in LPL also carries a gloomy hue. The focus is mainly on retaining players who are struggling to maintain their status. No matter how one looks at it, LPL cannot attract quality foreign talent. If Peyz – a JDG player fails, the star from Gen.G will be the most sought-after foreign talent in this transfer period.
However, the issue is that Peyz does not currently reside in LCK, hence he must transfer to LPL. Therefore, the question arises: How will LPL compete with LCK, considering the best foreign players have returned home in the last three years – Ruler has returned while Scout has been performing exceptionally?
LPL teams are still following the trend: spending big in 1-2 seasons to gain titles, if not, they will be relegated. While the threat of relegation is not present, the potential for a collapse remains if LPL continues to face dismal performances.