To the surprise of many, the French organization Pingou Esport, known for its presence in VALORANT, Rocket League, and Brawl Stars, has announced an unusual entry into League of Legends: they are launching a 100% Korean team in the LCK Academy Series, the third tier of the Korean competition.
This is the second time a non-Korean team has joined the Korean circuit, following the Canadian-origin Seoul Neon, which has since lost its Canadian aspect and is now managed by locals. However, Pingou Esport is the first French team to export itself to the Land of the Morning Calm. To find out more about this announcement, we talk to PierreJ, founder of Pingou Esport.
New 2024 roster of Pingou Esport in LCK AS
| Hello Pierre, and thank you for taking the time to speak with us! First of all, can you tell us a little about the LCK AS team project and what it means to you?
PierreJ: "The LCK AS team project is very important to me. It wasn't easy to set up, as you can imagine. I've always loved South Korea for what it represents in esports and beyond. It's a country at the forefront of technological innovation, and that fascinates me. The main goal of the project is to support these young Korean players and maybe take them further, who knows?"
| How did the idea of starting such a project come about, especially for a relatively young organization like Pingou Esport?
PierreJ: "I play League of Legends and take inspiration from the best. From there, I immediately turned to South Korea. The organization is very young, only existing for a year and a half, but that certainly won't stop us from achieving great things. We're always thinking with the goal of one day being among the best."
| In your first year in Korea, you start with profiles already spotted in the Korean academic scene. Sang Su and NoJlhye played for KDF Academy, Taehyoung for Gen.G Academy. How did you manage to find and especially convince these players to join a newcomer in the Korean landscape, especially one from a country 9,000 km away from their own?
PierreJ: "We had a contact who get us in touch with these players, and I am very grateful to him. The players are really enthusiastic about participating in our project and are with us primarily to progress even further. It's a boon for us to have found such good players willing to embark on this journey with us. It's all about mutual trust between the team and us."
| Can you tell us a bit more in detail about the ambitions of the project, both for this season and for the future? Is it a long-term project or more of a "one-shot" for 2024?
PierreJ: "We have big ambitions for this project! Our goal is to win stages of the LCK AS; we see a bright future with this team, and we trust them in the long term."
| I imagine many of our readers have never followed the LCK AS and don't know how it works. Can you explain the structure of the upcoming season and the different tournaments you'll be playing in?
PierreJ: "Like other Korean competitions, the season is divided into two splits: Spring and then Summer. During the Spring split, there will be three distinct stages, one of which has already taken place in January and the one in February that we are participating in starting this weekend. Then there will be the March stage before moving on to the Summer split with the stages in June, July, and August. Each stage is a single-elimination tournament tree with BO3 matches."
| For a French organization, managing a Korean roster, especially when all the players are playing from their homes, must not be easy, particularly due to the significant time difference. How do you operate on a daily basis? Is it planned for any Pingou members to visit Korea during the season with the players?
PierreJ: "The operation is not always easy, indeed, mainly because of the significant time difference. Our teams adapt to the imposed conditions and work hand in hand with the players to ensure they have the best possible support. We would very much like to go on site with the team, of course. Only the future will tell if this is indeed possible or not, but we are certainly keeping this idea in mind."
| With Pingou, you've already made a name for yourself, especially on the VALORANT scene, but your name hadn't yet appeared in the League of Legends esports scene. Can you introduce the organization to us?
PierreJ: "Our organization has been in existence for a year and a half now, and we are indeed already present in VALORANT, Brawl Stars, and Rocket League. We aim to offer people a refreshing organization that isn't afraid to innovate. We have plenty of ideas just waiting for support to be implemented; there's a lot in the pipeline."
| The announcement of your LCK AS roster naturally generated buzz on social media, with followers and key figures in the scene reacting to the news. Was this level of excitement expected on your side? Are you confident now that you're in the spotlight?
PierreJ: "We didn't expect to receive so much support from the entire League of Legends community, and we are infinitely grateful to those who showed it on social media. I would like to take the time to thank each of them because it is also thanks to them that we can continue to invest in these projects."
"We are confident, however, because as I mentioned, many other projects are in preparation, and those who start following us now will not be disappointed with what's to come."
| Naturally, this excitement comes with new fans who are now eagerly awaiting to follow your first steps in the Korean competition! Do you already know when the competition will start, and where can we follow it?
PierreJ: "The competition starts this weekend, on Sunday, February 25th, and you can follow the first matches via our social media, where all the results will be published. Starting from the top 16, the matches will be broadcasted live on the official competition channel (LCK AS, on YouTube). We hope to see many of you watching our matches!"
Within the LCK AS, Pingou Esport will have to compete against the academy teams of the franchised structures of the LCK, which includes all the elite Korean structures (T1, GENG, etc.), as well as several teams set up by player agencies, such as Shadow and GCA, which are very active on the circuit. These teams play a major role in player development in Korea, and many exported Koreans have passed through these teams before joining the professional world (EMENES, Winsome, Fisher…).
