The Moment T1 Won the 'LoL World Championship' 4 Times, Overseas Commentators Mentioned 'SKT'

Chinese and North American Broadcasters Mention 'SKT' Upon Victory
Started as 'SKT T1' in 2004, Countless Achievements
Continues as Main Sponsor After 2021 Spin-off

"Starting from StarCraft, SKT has built numerous achievements in eSports, and now, 20 years later, they once again raise the highest honor!"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 19th, at the 2023 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship (Worlds) finals held at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, when T1 defeated China's Weibo Gaming to claim the championship, the Chinese commentators said this. It was not only China; North American commentators also mentioned, "The legacy of SKT has reignited." The reason SKT was mentioned at the moment T1 achieved an unprecedented four Worlds titles (2013, 2015, 2016, 2023) is because SKT is inseparable from T1's history.

SKT founded 'SKT T1' in 2004, the dawn of eSports. Especially in 2012, when the LoL genre began to gain explosive popularity worldwide, they newly formed a LoL team. The following year, in 2013, led by player 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok, they reached the top of the Worlds for the first time. They continued to win in 2015 and 2016, setting records as the first to achieve back-to-back Worlds championships and three titles.

SKT introduced Korea's first promising player system to T1. All players who played significant roles in this victory?'Zeus' Choi Woo-je, 'Oner' Moon Hyun-jun, and 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung?are from the promising player group 'T1 Rookies.' Beyond team management, SKT served as the chairman company of the Korea eSports Association for eight years starting in 2005 and hosted various tournaments, contributing to the development of domestic eSports.

The greatest eSports players who defined an era also have a deep connection with SKT. The activities of StarCraft gamers belonging to 'SKT T1,' including 'The Emperor of Terran' Lim Yo-hwan, Choi Yeon-sung, and Jung Myung-hoon, led to the eSports boom. Lee Sang-hyeok, known as the 'Messi' of LoL, has been loved as the franchise star of the team for over 10 years since joining 'SKT T1' in 2013.

In 2019, T1 attracted a large-scale investment from the global media and entertainment group Comcast, advancing as a global eSports specialized company. After a spin-off in 2021, it was reorganized as a portfolio company of SK Square. Even after separating from T1, SKT has continuously supported T1 as the main sponsor and has maintained its eSports sponsorship. Based on this support, they achieved a valuable gold medal (LoL category) at the Hangzhou Asian Games last September. Among the six Korean representatives in the LoL category at that time, half?three players?were from T1 ('Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok, 'Zeus' Choi Woo-je, and 'Keria' Ryu Min-seok).

SKT is launching a special promotion to commemorate T1's Worlds victory. Targeting SKT 0 customers (aged 14 to 34), a total of 5,234 people will be selected by lottery to receive various prizes. The first prize (1 person) is a travel voucher to the western United States, where the LoL developer 'Riot Games' headquarters is located. Kim Hee-seop, SKT's Vice President of Communications, said, "We plan to try various initiatives to revitalize eSports, such as the distribution and expansion of VR/AR games, which could become next-generation eSports items," adding, "We will continue to show interest and support without hesitation, seeing the future development potential of eSports."