Razer™, the leading lifestyle brand for gamers and a pioneering supporter of competitive gaming, and SK Telecom T1 (SKT), the Korean-based esports powerhouse, celebrated the team’s first place win and a $2 million prize at the 6th Annual League of Legends World Championship this past weekend.
The matches took place in front of a sold-out crowd at Staples Center with tens of millions more viewing online across the globe. SKT defeated Samsung Galaxy 3 games to 2 to win the Series finale, becoming the first defending champions to successfully retain their title. SKT has now won three world finals in four years.
“Without question, this was the most important esports event held in the United States so far for League of Legends,” says Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. “The fans, the production, the games and overall experience exceeded our expectations. To play at the highest level in front of so many people is amazing, a defining moment for SKT, Team Razer and fans.”
“Faker” has been heralded as the “Michael Jordan” of League of Legends for his dominance and consistency throughout his storied career. His and his teammates’ skills were on full display throughout the tournament.
“SKT reeled-off one of the most impressive runs by a competitive team in any sport, and they show no signs of slowing down,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “The talent and the preparation that each player possesses is incredible. SKT is a big reason why millions and millions of fans in the United States and elsewhere are tuning in to watch. This is truly a global phenomenon.”
SKT’s players, like all members of Team Razer, use Razer mice, keyboards, headsets, console controllers and other accessories in their matches. “Faker” recently switched to the Razer DeathAdder Elite for its status as the most accurate mouse ever made.
“I’ve been using a DeathAdder for over five years, even before I became a pro-athlete, and for me, there’s never been a more comfortable mouse,” says Sang-hyeok. “Razer practically eliminated hardware performance as an excuse for poor play with this mouse.”
Team Razer squads have now won four of the six League of Legends World Championships. The annual finals is regularly the most-watched esports event of the year and has outpaced viewership in many traditional sports championships, including the NBA Finals and MLB World Series.
Razer was the first company to sponsor a professional gamer in 2000 when it sponsored Jonathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel with the Razer Boomslang, the world’s first gaming mouse that helped shape the 10-figure gaming peripheral industry. Today, Razer sponsors 20 teams and 180 competitive players worldwide.