Counter-Strike and Dota 2 powerhouse Natus Vincere, also known as NAVI, acquire Rogue’s team slot to join the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
NAVI made an official announcement with a teaser clip on social media, while Riot Games also released a statement seemingly to distance themselves from the decision.
With the sale of Rogue’s LEC slot, half of the original LEC teams remain, which raises questions about the stability of the league.
NAVI enters LEC
Natus Vincere (NAVI) esports club announced the acquisition of Rogue’s slot in the LEC and will debut in the 2025 Summer Split.
This came after rumours circulated that Rogue were to leave the LEC from a report by Sheep Esports.
In addition to NAVI joining the LEC, the music service owned by Rogue’s parent company, Napster, will join as a sponsor for the team.
The team has high ambitions, stating that:
“Our first step is to ensure the NAVI tag is represented at key international events, such as MSI, with the goal to earn a consistent presence at Worlds from the EMEA region in the future.”
Presumably, this is for 2026, as LEC might notice that the opportunity to qualify for MSI has already passed.
NAVI has a long road ahead as they are acquiring a team which failed to qualify for the LEC Playoffs since their return at the start of last year.
So far, they haven’t announced their roster and clarified that securing players will be difficult outside of the transfer window.
However, if the remaining rumours around NAVI are true, then midlaner Emil ‘Larssen’ Larsson will stay with the team for the upcoming split.
Regarding the roster – it obviously requires changes. We understand that most of the transfer options will only become available in the off-season, however some roster moves may happen right away.
Yevhen Zolotarov, Natus Vincere CEO
Riot Games Esports EMEA distances itself from Rogue’s team slot sale
In a slightly odd turn of events, Riot Games’ Esports division for EMEA made a statement surrounding the announcement.
In the statement, they detailed support for NAVI and its brand joining the LEC and thanked Rogue for being part of the LEC, again.
They also confirmed that Rogue’s current players, coaches, and analysts were fully transferred to the organisation.
Meaning that NAVI will have something to work with going into the Summer Split.
After the kind words, they went on to explain five main points.
- Why is this change happening now, and not after the season like usual?
- What will happen to Rogue’s players?
- Did LEC receive a share of the sale?
- What is the process behind these kinds of changes? What role does Riot/LEC play in the process?
- Why NAVI, and not another team?
Some of these were questions that no one was asking just yet, in a possibly preemptive move.
Riot Games mainly focused on distancing itself from the final decision and the confidence in NAVI’s brand.
In their responses, they acknowledged their involvement in the process to review potential buyers.
However, they were keen to make it clear that the choice of the buyer and the money from the deal were solely with Rogue.
Meanwhile, they emphasised the strength of NAVI’s brand in esports as reasoning for the buyout midseason, which can cause much disruption.
Half of the original franchise teams leave the LEC
Since the former EU LCS was franchised to become the LEC in 2019, half of its original franchise teams have left.
For a franchise league that was meant to be sustainable for at least a decade, many teams may have felt otherwise.
However, it should be noted that esports organisations have left the LEC for various reasons outside of the LEC and League of Legends esports ecosystem.
Some have stayed in the LEC as part of a merger with other esports organisations.
Such is the case with London-based Excel Esports, which merged with Spanish organisation Giants Gaming in 2023 to form GiantX.
The LEC has been flourishing with major partnerships since it began, including Santander, Warner Music, Mastercard, Kia, KitKat, and Red Bull.
Alongside its Valorant counterpart, they also recently announced a partnership with marketing agency T/Squared.
So while esports organisations may have slowly left the LEC, sponsors keep pouring in, which shows that there is still life in the franchise league.
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