[Apex] Runaway Struggles Under Financial Pressure
One minute you’re on top of the world, the next minute you lose your main tank and coach
Two weeks ago, Runaway’s star tanker Ryu “Kaiser” Sang-hoon announced his decision to leave the team and join America-based Cloud9. The decision grieved many. Many were sympathetic, knowing the financial reasons underpinning his decision. In an emotional post on Inven, Kaiser talked about his reasons and gives his final words to his team mates.
I also felt ashamed of myself, thinking ‘why is money so important?’ but I learned that I couldn’t live through life with just loyalty. I even used most of my winnings paying back my debts and I didn’t have much left. My economic situation doesn’t look any better either.”
— “Kaiser”
While his decision is a sad one, it highlights just how difficult it is for non-professional players and teams to compete against professional ones and that esports still has a long way to go. When Apex’s second-place team can’t support their players to the point of being financially stable, something is definitely wrong.
Vigorously rubbing salt into the proverbial wounds is the recent announcement that Runaway’s coach, Nomi, has also stepped down from the team. He is a person who deserves a lot of credit and respect for the hard work he put into the team as he helped steer them to the season 2 finals.
The Struggle Is Real
Despite coming in second at Apex Season 2, Runaway had a turbulent Season 3. From a competitive perspective, their very first match was tainted by the fact that half the team was very sick. The looming cloud of Kaiser’s still-unannounced-but-imminent departure was hurting morale. And as a result, their first game was a thumping as they had no answer to juggernaut that is Afreeca Blue. While they managed to pick up a win in their second game and some of their players started to pick up their performance, they still struggled to make their team composition work and, during their final game against X-6, they made far too many mistakes and eventually bowed out in the group sage. They did start to show some promising signs, more so in their final game, especially Haksal reminding us why he is one of the best Genji’s in the world. But the fact of the matter is that as a team, they just didn’t have enough of their cohesion back or strategies in place or even the execution to foot it with the other teams.
But even more worrying is the state of the team’s logistics. Runaway was unable to secure a sponsor coming into Season 3. This affected their ability to maintain the infrastructure necessary to keep player performance at a high level. The details of securing a team house or paying salaries might seem mundane, but they are essential when trying to compete against the best in the esports Mecca that is Korea. Let’s go over some of these details and the roadblocks that Runaway faced in trying to get them done:
Mundane Detail #1: Renting a Team House
Renting in Korea is actually very cheap compared to other countries. Paying less than $1000 for a 2 bedroom apartment can get you reasonable housing. The main problem is the huge upfront cost that is required to even start paying the rent. This is because landlords require deposits that either 1.) is equal to 50 times the monthly rent or 2.) a lump sun that will accrue interest that is greater than the rent cost. This is why renting an apartment can cost an individual $290,000!
It is a unique system that different from almost anywhere else in the world. Because of this system it is common for children to live at home until they become married because the housing cost is just too high to live alone. For gamers wanting to become professionals this poses multiple problems but the biggest one is the need for a huge amount of start up cash to even begin to think about renting out a team house that’s suitable.
Mundane Detail #2: Family Business
Korea is a very family orientated society and the need to pay back your family after you have grown up is very high. As mentioned before, children stay home till they are married. But even after they do move out, they are still often expected to look after their parents once they retire. Parents often spend all their life savings to provide education for their children leaving them with little left to retire on. With household debt in Korea steadily increasing, it is making it harder and harder for families to stay afloat and the need to support each other is very high. (the education system in Korea is in dire need of restructuring with the cost of tuition crippling some families, this added financial pressure is making Korean households some of the most heavily indebted in the OECD)
Mundane Detail #3: Need Money to Make Money
While the upcoming Overwatch League is trying to create a stable gateway to professional esports, the fact is that most esports players are not getting enough money to survive from playing alone. Sponsorship and streaming are still the main avenues for players to make enough money to live by and pay the bills with few teams able to pay their players decent salaries. Tournament wins and participation paychecks are there but once you divide that up amongst a team, it doesn’t amount to much at all. For sports players, those type of endorsements and sponsorship deals are the icing on the cake to already lucrative salaries. But for esports players the need to stream and acquire sponsors is paramount to survive. This is a very real struggle. Runaway, who is sporting some of the best Overwatch players in the world and who came second in Apex season 2 is still without a sponsor, showing just how hard it is to make it as a gamer. Hopefully with the looming Overwatch League, we will see a more reputable system come to Overwatch, making the career pathway for pro players much more viable and lucrative.
Teams with sponsors don’t have to worry about such matters, as they have robust management structures that are usually quite capable. But in Runaway’s case it appears that concern over the “mundane” led to painful consequences in talent.
I am sad to see Kaiser leave but like everyone else, I fully understand his reasons and wish him the best going forward with Cloud9. It was also a shock to see Runaway bow out so early in season 3 after such an epic season 2. However, I feel this might be good for them going forward as now they have the time to address their problems and come back stronger than ever in season 4. Long live King Kaiser! Someone please sponsor Runaway!
Marcus Powell has been living and working in South Korea since 2010. Aside from writing for Gangnam Gamers, he is also a popular club DJ, English Teacher, gamer, sports and esports fan and anime enthusiast.
