A whole lot, apparently.

NACL Players Found On Chinese Boosting Service: What Is Going Wrong In North American LoL Esports?

Esports 20-07-2023 15:00

Multiple former NACL players and a current NACL Summer Qualifiers player have been discovered to offer account boosting on a Chinese boosting service. This puts the existence of the NA Challengers League as a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for young, emerging talent into question.

It is no secret that the North American ecosystem struggles with maintaining a sustainable second tier of competition. While the North American Challengers League looks like a step in the right direction, it is nowhere near its optimal spot and will be revised again ahead of the 2024 season.

While the average salary for an NACL player is up to $80,000 a year – which is not at all a bad wage for a North American citizen – their job security is nonexistent. A bad split can cause you to be replaced, and getting another job in the industry that has thousands of contestants is a difficult task on its own. This is evident from multiple players retiring from professional League of Legends to follow different career paths.

"Book A Bootcamp To Europe And Try To Get Into An ERL"

One of those players is the former 100 Thieves top laner Milan 'Tenacity' Oleksij. After a disappointing spring split with the LCS team, the 20-year-old retired from pro play to follow a career in content creation. He thinks that the best way for NA talent to get into the LCS is through the collegiate circuit, but he has also recommended players to go for a bootcamp in Europe in order to try to get into a European Regional League.

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Tenacity is not the only player changing his profession after a stint in the North American pro circuit. Former Evil Geniuses bot laner Kyle 'Danny' Sakamaki has followed the same path following an extended break due to mental health issues.

However, not every player remains in the spotlight. Other players have taken different paths, as evident from the example of Jouhan 'Copy' Pathmanathan. After retiring from professional League of Legends earlier this year, Copy has joined a Chinese boosting service. While the prices of a boost are publicly accessible, it is unknown how much money Copy makes through this service.

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With account boosting being picked over playing in the North American Challengers League, it is quite obvious that Riot Games need to make improvements to create a sustainable esports ecosystem in North America.