- Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh abruptly ends his contract with TSM
- This might be part of TSM’s new restructuring goals
- The organization loses a coveted veteran player
In a shocking turn of events, TSM is splitting with their 2021 support, Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh, after just one year into a $6 million contract.
SwordArt’s Abrupt Departure
Up until recently, Hu “SwordArt” Shuo-Chieh was part of TSM, but he and the organization have abruptly ended their relationship. SwordArt signed with the team in the off-season before the 2021 season for a two-year-long contract which was worth $6 million, as reported by the Washington Post. This made him the highest-paid League Championship Series player up until his sudden departure.
SwordArt’s contract was supposed to last until 2022, but TSM did not fare well as expected this year, so the team has announced many changes for next year’s season. SwordArt’s departure comes not long after the announcement that Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg, the team’s longtime mid laner, decided to leave TSM in search of a playing career with another team.
It seems this change is part of a series of roster and content creator changes that TSM is currently in the middle of . They put out a video explaining in short that they want to rebuild for 2022 and focus on signing younger talents with strong potential for growth moving forward.
SwordArt’s Career So Far
The Taiwanese player has been a highly successful and popular support. His debut on the professional scene was playing with the Flash Wolves. After that, he moved to League of Legends Pro League team, Suning, where he played for two years.
He helped lead Suning to the 2020 League of Legends World Championship finals against the called at the time DAMWON Gaming (which has since been renamed to DWG KIA). Even though coming in at second place in the series, SwordArt’s performance helped him reignite his popularity, which undoubtedly helped him sign such a heigh paying contract with TSM.
The first League of Legends World Championship SwodArt attended was in 2013, when he was part of the now-defunct Gamania Bears. So far SwordArt has participated in six World Championships, four of which were when he was still with the Flash Wolves.
With SwordArt leaving and other major players like Bjergsen already gone, it seems TSM will have some turbulent times before they find a new successful roster. It will be interesting to see if the organization will again spend millions on acquiring highly south-after players.
