In an interview with
L’Équipe this Friday, March 20, Jordan "
Next" Savelli, Sporting Director of Team Falcons, addressed several questions surrounding the organization, particularly their absence from
League of Legends. The Saudi organization was reportedly interested in joining the LEC on two separate occasions, the pinnacle of Riot Games’ MOBA esports scene in EMEA, but ultimately did not follow through.
“We lost the bid the first time to Karmine Corp,” the French executive explained, adding that they were offered “a slot for around €20 million.” This was Astralis’ slot at the time. Team Falcons made another attempt when Rogue’s slot went up for sale, as the organization was struggling both competitively and financially, but the bid was eventually won by Natus Vincere.
“It doesn’t send a good signal for your league”
In the interview, Next surprisingly revealed: “The second time, it was for Rogue’s slot, but it was at a much lower price, so we said no.” Far from the valuation of their first attempt, the slot was reportedly offered at around “€12 million,” according to the Saudi club’s director. “It doesn’t send a good signal for your league. Am I going to spend €12 million if, in two years, it might only be worth €6 million?” he said before reaffirming their interest in LoL: “But we'll keep watching.”
According to information from
Sheep Esports, as reported in an article from July 2024, Riot Games had blocked Falcons from purchasing slots from Astralis and Rogue, a fact that is not mentioned in the interview.
This absence from
League of Legends also comes with a limited presence in
VALORANT, with the organization currently only competing in Game Changers, alongside a brief stint in Challengers MENA. This stands out for an organization that is otherwise present at the top level across most major esports titles. “
I can’t go into details, but something not very fair happened on Riot’s side that pushed us away,” he explained. “
I just think there’s internal resistance in many places, with people who don’t want Saudi Arabia to enter the ecosystem.”
In 2020, Saudi Arabia, which was only beginning to take an interest in esports, attempted to establish a partnership between NEOM and the LEC through a sponsorship deal. Following a major backlash after the official announcement, Riot Games reversed its decision and canceled the agreement.
According to him, this contrasts with the stance of clubs already competing in the VCT: “Clubs actually want us to join, because we bring an audience the leagues don’t have.” Unlike his comments on League of Legends, the Team Falcons director was less optimistic about the future of Riot’s FPS, stating that “in any case, I don't think VALORANT is a successful game with strong numbers; it's an expensive game.” A point that is hard to dispute.
