The historic Korean LoL organization is being caught up by its own salary ambitions. According to Daily Esports, all of Dplus KIA's rosters — across every discipline — are owed a month of back pay, after having reached as much as two months of delay before a partial settlement.
The crux of the problem: an over-budget LoL roster
Building around Showmaker, the franchise gambled on four young players for an estimated roster cost of about €2M — a wage bill the organization clearly can no longer shoulder. In an earlier report, we noted cumulative losses of €8.2M over the past 3 years bearing down on the parent company ABYSS, a K-pop agency.
Yet another sign of where LCK salaries are heading, a trend that's beginning to test the balance between on-stage results and financial sustainability for certain organizations.
The club's version: a sale that's dragging on
Contacted for comment, Dplus KIA's management confirms the situation and pins it on a delayed club-sale process that threw off cash-flow planning. The club says it alerted the players and pledges an official statement "soon."
Confirmation, in other words, that the Gangnam K-pop agency intends to shed its esports operations, long a blemish on its balance sheet.
LCK rules grant the right to end a contract after a single month of unpaid wages — a lever few players will actually pull mid-season, given the absence of credible options before Worlds.
The official statement:
On July 16, the Dplus KIA front office put out an official statement confirming every element of the reporting. The front office says it concluded that bringing in a new owner was the best route to a sustainable future for the club and its roster, and has signed a deal with an M&A advisory firm to structure the process and negotiate with other prospective buyers.
선수단 급여 지급 지연 및 구단 현황에 대한 입장문
Background
Founded in 2017 (Damwon Gaming), world champion in 2020 in Shanghai, bought in 2020 by Abyss Company (a K-pop/entertainment agency), rebranded Dplus KIA in 2023.
One more...