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T1 (previously known as SK Telecom T1 or SKT T1) is a South Korean esports organization operated by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor. The team that would become SKT T1 was originally founded in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003. In April 2004, South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom began sponsoring the team, officially creating the team SK Telecom T1.
The team that would become T1 was originally founded in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003.[2] On April 13, 2004, South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom sponsored the team with an investment of US$2 million, officially creating the team SK Telecom T1; by May 2005, it was estimated to have earned $15million worth of market effects.[3][4]
On December 13, 2012, SK Telecom expanded into League of Legends esports by acquiring the roster of Eat Sleep Game, and created the team SK Telecom T1 S. On February 26, 2013, they created a second League of Legends team, SK Telecom T1 K.[5]
In 2016, SKT closed their StarCraft II division, after KeSPA announced that they would be discontinuing the Proleague.[6]
In October 2019, SK Telecom T1 was rebranded to simply T1, after SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor partnered to create T1 Entertainment & Sports, and Joe Marsh was named the CEO.[9]League of Legends player Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok then became a part-owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports in February 2020.[10]
On March 9, 2020, T1 signed its first player to its newly formed Valorant team.[11]
On May 6, 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and organizers of the Esports World Cup tournament series, announced the 30 organizations that would make up the World Cup Club Support Program, with T1 being one of them. This program gives teams a one-time six-figure stipend if an organization is willing to enter new esports as well as additional funding each year if they drive viewership and fan engagement to the Esports World Cup.[12]
On December 13, 2012, SK Telecom expanded into League of Legends esports by acquiring the roster of Eat Sleep Game, and created the team SK Telecom T1 S. On February 26, 2013, they created their second League of Legends team, SK Telecom T1 K.[5] In the same year, SKT T1 won their first League of Legends World Championship.[13] In 2014, SK Telecom T1 K followed their success through in the OGN winter season, winning the tournament without dropping a single game. They would then go on to win All-Star Paris 2014.[14] However, their Winter season success did not follow through and after the Spring and Summer seasons, SKT T1 K failed to qualify for the 2014 World Championship. In the following offseason, Riot Games changed the team regulations so that each organizations may only have one team participating in each league. This led to the merger of SKT T1 K and SKT T1 S, and the subsequent departures of Impact and Piglet for the NA LCS.[15] The new team would compete under the name SKT T1.
At the 2015 World Championship, SKT won the title while losing only one game in the finals for a record of 15–1 over the course of the tournament.[16]
SKT team started off the 2016 Season by winning the LCK Spring Split.[17] With this victory, SKT was guaranteed a spot in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational.[18] At that point in time, MSI was the only major international tournament they had yet to win. They were heavily favored coming into the tournament, but were initially unable to perform up to their usual standards, unexpectedly losing several games in the group stage.[19] However, they managed to turn things around during the elimination round and eventually clinched the title by sweeping the North American team, Counter Logic Gaming, in the finals.[20] SKT placed third in the 2016 LCK Summer Split, but still qualified for the 2016 World Championship through circuit points. The team swept through the group stage and advanced towards the playoff round. In the semifinals they defeated the ROX Tigers in a close 3–2 series.[21] In the finals they defeated Samsung Galaxy in another close 3–2 series, winning their third world championship title.[22][23]Faker was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.[24]
SKT won the 2017 LCK Spring Split, clean sweeping KT Rolster 3–0 in the finals. This win qualified them for the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational.[25] At the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, SKT topped the group stage with a 8–2 record. SKT then swept Flash Wolves 3–0 in the semifinals and defeated G2 Esports 3–1 in the finals, becoming the first team to win the Mid-Season Invitational back-to-back.[26] At the 2017 World Championship, SKT were considered to be strong favourites to lift the cup for a third consecutive time despite not winning the LCK Summer Split. After a 5–1 group stage, SKT narrowly defeated Misfits and Royal Never Give Up in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, before facing Samsung Galaxy in a repeat of the previous year's final. Despite being favourites going into the game, Samsung Galaxy swept SKT 3–0, ending their domination at the World Championship.[27]
In October 2019, SKT rebranded as T1 after partnering with Comcast Spectacor.[36] In February 2020, Faker had re-signed with the team for three years, in which his contract would last until 2022. He also became a part owner of T1 Entertainment and Sports.[37][38] In April of the same year, T1 defeated Gen.G and won their ninth LCK title.[39]
During the 2022 LCK Spring, T1 went undefeated in the regular season with an 18–0 record, becoming the first team to achieve this record since the league's inception.[41] In the playoffs, T1 won its tenth LCK title, defeating Gen.G 3–1 in the finals.[42] On the international stage, T1 finished as the runners-up of the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, losing in the final to Royal Never Give Up.[43] The team also finished as the runners-up at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship after losing 3–2 to DRX in the final.[44] The team had qualified for the tournament as the second seed from the LCK by the virtue of having the most Championship Points.[45]
In the 2023 LCK Spring Split, T1 qualified for the playoffs as the first seed, posting a 17–1 record as all five members of the roster were chosen for the All-LCK First Team, a first in LCK history.[46][47] The team won every series to advance to the finals, qualifying for the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational after defeating Gen.G in the upper bracket semifinals.[48] T1 lost the Spring Split title against the same opponent in a rematch of the 2022 LCK Summer 2022 finals, as Gen.G won the match 3–1.[49] T1 was then defeated 3–2 by JD Gaming and 3–1 by Bilibili Gaming to exit the Mid-Season Invitational at the loser-bracket final.[50] At the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, T1 won its fourth World Championship title, the first in seven years, after defeating Weibo Gaming 3–0 in the finals held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.[51] T1's top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je was named finals MVP.[52]
At the 2024 League of Legends World Championship, T1 won its fifth World Championship title after defeating Bilibili Gaming 3–2 in the final, held in London.[53] Faker was named the finals MVP, marking his second time receiving the honour.[54]
The StarCraft division of SKT was originally founded in 2002 by player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003.[2] The team went on to win the first-ever StarCraft Proleague, and by 2011, they had won the most championships of any team in Brood War history.[55]
In 2016, SKT closed their StarCraft II division after the Proleague was discontinued.[6]
