Faker is a true legend of esports. He is one of the most successful and most famous players of all time, not only League of Legends. After narrowly losing out to DRX in the 2022 Worlds Final with T1, there is just one question: What does Faker's future look like?
The 2022 League of Legends World Championship Final turned out to be a historic one. T1, the most successful team in Worlds history against an underdog squad in DRX trying to crown their miracle run. In the midst of it: Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker. Who else would it be? In the end, the Unkillable Demon King and his team were unable to secure the Summoner's Cup.
Bleak reality for all T1 fans: Their team proved all doubters wrong and emerged in the Worlds Finals once more, but in the end they didn't leave the stage as victors. Nevertheless, now is not the time to moan about that loss anymore. Worlds 2022 is over and we all have to look ahead, players and fans alike. For many, there is only one question: What does Faker's future look like?
League of Legends: Faker Exploring His Options For 2023
At this point, Faker is 26 years old. Together with Deft he is one of the oldest players still active in the LCK. Although it is quite common for the G.O.A.T.s of their respective sports to have such long-lived careers, many fans thought of retirement as a possible option for Faker after the heartbreaking loss in the Worlds Final. Any of those retirement rumors were blown away quickly, though.
At the post-game press conference, Faker had to answer a lot of questions. Judging by his words, he didn't spend a single thought about retiring:
It is true that we only finished runner-up in this worlds, but I have faith we can grow even stronger as a team.
This does speak a rather clear language, doesn't it? After all, even if he as a player might not be in such a dominant position as he was some years ago, Faker is still performing at a very high level and takes a valuable role as player-coach and mentor inside the young T1 squad.
So, what does that mean? Will Faker run it back with Zeus, Oner, Gumayusi and Keria in 2023? Could very well be! Still, there have been some spicy rumors this offseason. According to Alejandro Gomis of blix.gg, Faker is exploring his options for the 2023 season.
His sources told him that Faker is interested in joining the LCS. Why the LCS of all regions, Faker? Come to Brazil! Well, it's his decision after all. Teams that have been in negotiation with him include Team Liquid and FlyQuest, the former has apparently made an offer to him.
Will Faker leave T1?
The biggest fear of all T1 fans around the world. Would he actually consider leaving the team he has been a part of for his whole career? Most likely not. As we already pointed out, Faker has stated that he intends to help his team grow and take another shot at the Summoner's Cup in 2023.
But we never know. As it's very likely that Faker only tests his value in free agency, teams from the LCS might be the ones being able to offer the most to him in regards of money. A few years ago Faker revealed that he was offered a blank cheque by an NA team, but turned it down because he wanted to play in Korea.
Another reason why it's unlikely that Faker will leave T1 is his ties to the organization. With his most recent contract he signed, he was given a share in the company and is now not only a player, but also a part-owner of T1.
If we'd have to make a guess about Faker's future, there is only one option for us: T1 Faker. Even though NA teams might offer stupid amounts of money to the Unkillable Demon King, there are too many things hinting towards at least one more season in the LCK and – who knows – maybe even another Worlds appearance.