Yesterday, the Korean media OSEN released an interview with Choi Sung-hoon, director of the T1 Club, in which the director bluntly said: In the future, T1's plan will enrich or expand its e-sports academy.
The original translation is as follows:
In the long river of e-sports with a history of about 20 years, T1 (formerly SK Telecom) is an indispensable team. During the StarCraft period, the T1 team laid the foundation of the dynasty together with outstanding stars such as Lin Yaohuan, Choi Ran-sung, and Kanazawa Rong, and at the same time as the League of Legends project sprouted, the T1 team became the top giant team in e-sports. Centered on "Faker" Lee Sang-hyuk, he won 5 international championships recognized by the company (3 S races, 2 MSI) and 9 LCK championships, which are the highest in history.
Now, T1 hopes to continue the history of the giant team through the Esports Academy, the cradle of cultivating future talents. At present, the growth rate of the global esports industry is very fast. League of Legends Korean League LCK also conforms to this e-sports globalization and has decided to implement allianceization from 2021. Under the alliance system of abolishing the promotion and relegation system, creating a second-tier league, and strengthening the support of players, the participating teams can operate stably for a long time.
In the era of LCK alliance, T1 plans to consolidate the connotation of the team together with the experience accumulated by the operation team. In the esports industry, the T1's strengths are "tradition and history." In the case of the teams involved in LCK working hard to build a system, the strengths of T1 are clear. The T1 paints a bright future based on a system that has been consolidated over the years.
What is the core of T1 Academy? "Tradition and History"
On July 6 this year, OSEN met with Council Member Choi Sung-hoon at the T1 Headquarters on Seonyeong-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and discussed the T1 Academy system. The T1 LOL player group consists of LCK (1 team), LCK CL (2 teams), and the Academy League (3 teams). To build the system, T1 referred to the transition from traditional sports to existing gaming teams, and the results of the analysis led T1 to adopt a forward approach that strengthens the existing academy system. Director Choi Sung-hoon said: "E-sports is different from traditional sports, and the careers of players are not long. We decided to import courses that didn't take so long to devote. ”
What are the advantages of T1 Academy within LCK? Governor Choi Sung-hoon confidently pointed out the "tradition and history" of the T1. T1 has carefully managed those potential players since the beginning, and has cultivated many superstars. T1 sees these superstars and equips them with an environment in which potential stars can grow. With the selfless support of T1, team 2 and team 3 players can gain motivation by observing the active performance of team 1 players.
Coach Hong Chengyu, the coach of the 3rd team 'T1 Rookies' who has carried on the tradition and history of T1, will always tap those potential stars. At present, the selection of the academy team players is fully responsible for the 3rd team coach Hong Chengyu. Director Choi Sung-hoon added: "The criteria for selecting players are to focus on whether the requirements of the ability and coach can be well executed" and "it is planned that in the future, when the Potential Star is promoted, they will be taught how to accept the teaching of the coaching team of team 1".
At present, in the field of e-sports, health management is also very important, just like traditional sports. With the need to play games in the same posture for long periods of time, players who manage their bodies are more likely to extend their careers, and T1, which has long operated an esports team, recognizes this. Director Choi Sung-hoon said: "I have had a similar experience in my career, which needs to be managed from the time of the Potential Star period", "There is a physical training room on the first basement floor of the company, which the team members can use at any time, and the 1-on-1 course of the physical fitness coaches is also fully equipped.".
Stable 1 team - the link where the Potential Star was able to enter
In order to continuously achieve good results in sports, the competitive ability of team 1 is important, but how many potential players must also be a solid backing. If team 1-2 becomes a team", this problem can be solved. Traditional sports giants use their own system to train players from the stage of potential stars, creating teams with unified goals.
T1 is a team that communicates very well with teams 1, 2 and 3. With the help of director Choi Sung-hoon, T1's coaching staff is actively sharing information. Director Choi Sung-hoon said: "The 1 and 2 teams are in comprehensive operation, sharing the team list, and can exchange information with each other, and the 2 and 3 teams have the same philosophy in training", "We are exchanging how to cultivate potential players in the future." If I think it is necessary to have a discussion, I will stand up. "
What is T1's survival strategy in the highly competitive esports market?
Over time, the global esports market will become increasingly competitive. Goldman Sachs predicts that the global e-sports market will grow from $869 million (about 988.4 billion won) in 2019 to $2.963 billion (about 3.3704 trillion won) in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of more than 35%.
As the global esports market grows, teams are scaling up their investments, particularly in China and North America. China's astronomical investment in the esports market has long been a household name, with Tencent, China's representative IT company, investing a total of US$185 billion (about 212 trillion won) by the end of 2020. Like Tencent, many e-sports teams in China are keen to recruit potential players. In North America, teams represented by TSM, Team Liquid, C9, etc. have made significant investments.
T1 also plans to work hard to cope with the increasingly competitive e-sports market, and the first thing that should be done is to tap the eyes of excellent players. Director Choi Sung-hoon said: "The teams will compete in order to introduce excellent players. It is important to be able to tap the vision of such a team member, and T1 systematically selects, introduces and trains players through years of experience. ”
After bringing in the best players, T1 will support the players to continuously improve their abilities. Director Choi Sung-hoon said: "It is very important to create an environment for the future growth of the academy players, and we will help the players to practice unremittingly. I think T1 is very important to the future of the team, the academy players. We plan to further expand the size of the college system. ”
At the dawn of the era of LCK alliance, T1 is also trying to build a team that matches the title of "e-sports giant". At the end of the interview, Director Choi Sung-hoon expressed his determination for the future of T1. In order to become a team that can seize both the present and the future, the plan continues.
"Team 1 of the T1 is aiming to advance into the S race and win the championship. Teams 2 and 3 are cultivating players well for the future of the team. T1 is known as a giant in the field of eSports. I promise to strive to be truly the best team. ”
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