Big news from LCK clubs! ShowMaker faces unpaid wages, DK puts the team up for sale — reminiscent of Korea's RNG situation.

Greetings to all LPL viewers and League of Legends fans, this is World of Esports.

The EWC World Cup knockout stage BO3 matches are set to begin today, with all seven Chinese and Korean teams advancing, including DK, who had previously been defeated by AL, successfully making it to the top eight.

However, off the stage, DK is facing a major crisis and is attempting to sell the team.

ShowMaker faces unpaid wages, DK on the verge of disbandment.

In the previous match against AL, DK performed poorly, especially top laner Siwoo, whose Jayce went 1-8, leaving viewers astonished. Soon after, Korean media reported that DK has been delaying player salaries, claiming that wages have been unpaid for a month.

Many viewers commented that it's no wonder Siwoo played poorly — why should he give his best when he's not being paid?

At the same time, Korean media also revealed that according to LCK regulations, players can terminate their contracts if the team delays wages for more than a month. This means DK's players are now eligible to apply for contract termination and leave the team.

However, in reality, termination is not easy. Due to the紧凑 schedule of LoL esports, players find it difficult to simply request a departure, as finding a new team is not straightforward.

Many netizens immediately thought of RNG, which also had massive wage arrears and eventually left the league after years. DK's situation seems similar — likely a club operational problem where the team has run out of money. Of course, DK probably won't turn into a deadbeat like RNG, which often had money but chose not to pay salaries. DK likely genuinely lacks funds.

DK official statement initiates sale process.

Following the Korean media report, DK's official team also released a statement explaining the club's current situation. Simply put, as everyone guessed, the club is facing operational issues, leading them to start the sale process. They believe bringing in a new buyer is the best management decision for now.

DK also revealed that they have been pushing forward with specific agreement details and have signed a formal contract with a professional sales consulting firm.

However, because this involves significant contracts concerning the club's future, administrative procedures have progressed slower than expected during the final coordination and sale consultation. As a result, the club's funds broke down, leading to the regrettable situation of a one-month delay in player salaries.

In summary, DK indeed lacks funds and wants to sell the team but encountered some difficulties. Under normal procedures, salaries would not have been delayed, but due to the slower progress, wages were withheld.

This is indeed a plausible explanation, and it might reflect DK's actual situation.

Thus, in the foreseeable future, DK will likely be acquired and renamed into a different team. The question remains whether any players will request contract termination during this process.

A miracle hard to repeat — the internet café team heads toward its end.

After reaching their peak during the S10 and S11 seasons, DK has failed to achieve good results in consecutive years and has been steadily declining. Their star mid laner ShowMaker's performance has been unsatisfactory, and the rookies they cultivated have fallen short of expectations. It seems this team can hardly replicate the miracle of the internet café team from back then.

After all, DK's meteoric rise was truly a miracle in LCK esports history — five players went from an internet café team to world champions, each possessing immense strength, with a dream starting lineup. Looking back, the initial DK, or DWG's success, might have exhausted all the club's luck.

DK was never a club with deep financial resources. Especially given the ongoing struggles of the Korean esports industry, even powerhouses like T1 and GEN are striving to cut budgets, let alone other teams. Survival indeed poses a major challenge.

Under the current circumstances, the value of esports teams is declining year by year, making it hard to sell at a high price. DK's commercial value is also limited. Even if acquired, the future outlook is unlikely to be overly optimistic.