On Wednesday, October 7,
announced that it will cease its activities at the end of 2026, a decision partly driven by the fact that the future of the French
League of Legends league “has become uncertain.” Entering the esports scene in January 2024, notably by joining LFL Division 2, the club climbed the ranks to reach the LFL in 2025, even making an appearance at the EMEA Masters and featuring big names such as Alexandru "
" Kolozsvari and Šimon "
" Říháček.
The end?
IJC is not the only club that will be missing from the
French league in 2026, with several names having already announced their departures from the game, notably Joblife, while other rumors persist, particularly around the end of Team Vitality's academy project. At the time of this news and article's publication, the LFL has not yet communicated whether it will continue in 2027, who will be behind the project, or what format will be used.
In a video posted on
YouTube to bring the adventure to a close, “
ElRodess,” co-owner of the project and CEO of the company, therefore points in part to the difficulties faced by the LFL, but not exclusively. His departure from the management side of the project was also one of the key factors in the decision, alongside the difficulty of finding someone capable of taking over the role. Another co-owner of the project,
Benoît Theveny, who has numerous activities outside esports, no longer seems to have the time, and given that the project partly carries his name and that of his company, the conclusion appears to have been to shut down the club at the end of 2026.
The story of Ici Japon
Founded from two different driving forces, it also seems that this strength was partly behind the project's end. At the origins of the club was the Ascent project, built in particular around events organized by French streamer Adrien “Zerator” Nougaret, as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Trackmania. Eventually, in late 2023 and therefore before the launch in late 2024, Ici Japon, the company of Benoît Theveny, a French content creator and entrepreneur specializing in Japan, came into the picture and decided to partner with Ascent to form what became Ici Japon Corp Esport.
During this collaboration, in addition to its arrival in LoL, where the club won everything in its first year in Division 2, it continued to invest in smaller scenes, including internationally. IJC strengthened this bridge between France and Japan by notably signing Neo Iwashita in SSBU. The French club also had Gwendal "Gwen" Duparc on its roster, the winner of the Trackmania competition at the Esports World Cup, who helped All Gamers secure the victory in the 2026 edition. More recently, the club also invested in the competitive Pokémon Trading Card Game scene.
