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T1 is Angry: Zeus Agency Blamed for ZOFGK Ending
T1, the organization is reportedly furious with The Play, the esports agency that represented Zeus during the contract negotiations.
In a shocking turn of events, information has surfaced regarding the seemingly mysterious decision from Choi “Zeus” Woo-je to not re-sign with T1. The decision shocked many fans as the ‘God of Thunder’ had repeatedly hinted at his desire to continue with the organization.
Following the roster’s historic back-to-back World Championship victories, the departure of Zeus brings an abrupt and puzzling end to a burgeoning dynasty.
In the ensuing aftermath, we uncover rebuffed contracts, an active third party, and a race against time at the very end. And at the center of it all - Zeus. This is everything we know about the situation so far.
*Writer Note: The following article has been pieced together largely from the report originally released by South Korean Media Outlet, Naver. Translations may differ but I have attempted to retain the spirit of the message.
T1 and Zeus Could Not Come to an Agreement
Three parties were involved during this period: the T1 organization, Zeus, and Zeus’ agent. On T1’s side, initial contract negotiations were initiated by the organization and spearheaded by COO Ahn Woong-Gi and Director Jeong Hoi-Yoon. Zeus himself was represented by The Play, a Korean esports agency.
According to multiple collaborated reports and translations, here is a breakdown of the negotiations timeline.
- T1 made an unprecedented offer initially.
- A 3 + 1 year plan contract with a slight salary increase over 2024’s contract.
- The emphasis from T1’s side was the longevity of the contract was ‘proof’ of their commitment to a long-term partnership.
- Zeus’ side (agent) communicated that the salary amount was unacceptable.
- “The initial offer from T1 was, in our view, unacceptable”. - The Play
- T1 countered with a 1 year contract with significant pay raise.
- Zeus' side (agent) communicated that they insisted on at least a 2-year contract.
- T1 submitted the third and final offer with a 1 +1 year plan contract. However, the salary was adjusted to account for the increased duration.
However, The Play (Zeus’ agent) communicated in response to the third and final contract offer that they would not be continuing discussions and would instead be seeking market evaluations.
Moreover, T1 and Zeus (himself) allegedly reached a verbal agreement, however, the agent has refuted this. Further reports also name the agent as the responsible party for delaying the acceptance of the offer, instead allowing Zeus’ contract to expire and the player enter free agency.
Agency Forced Free Agency
The agent insisted on no further negotiations taking place until the 19th of November, when Zeus’ contract officially ends. The suspicions from T1’s side reportedly rose further when Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) made a slightly higher deal for Zeus (with a difference less than 500 million Korean Won).
A report made mention that T1 had reached out to HLE following the offer and it was discovered that The Play (agency) had also been in contact with them. It was then that T1 reportedly quietly reached out to Doran’s agent and a quick agreement was made between the 2 parties.
This accounts for the rushed nature of Doran’s announcement by T1 at the eleventh hour but was also a result of the preparatory moves T1 made in the event Zeus did not re-sign with them.
T1 Were 20 Minutes Late
According to multiple reports, the agency and T1 were set to meet again on the 19th of November at 9am KST. The agency failed to show. Despite this, T1 sought to continue negotiations with both COO Ahn Woong-Gi and General Manager Jeong Hoi-Yoon moving to negotiate directly with Woo-je, who resided in Incheon.
T1 managed to narrow the difference in salary expectations according to the report. This is where the stories diverge, depending on which side you ask.
According to the agency:
“We told T1 that the deadline for accepting the offer was 3pm and eventually waited for T1’s opinion until 3.40pm. The amount was somewhat similar but there was a serious difference in opinion regarding the contract period.”
Also:
“The meeting that morning was never officially confirmed; we had only intended to communicate at that time. We submitted our final proposal to T1, but there was no positive feedback.”
According to T1:
“We were told of the 3pm deadline at the last minute. Still, we rushed to Incheon to continue negotiations and requested further negotiations by phone. But we received a rejection from the agent.”
Zeus accepted another offer (not from T1) at 3.40pm. T1 arrived at the negotiation site after 4pm. However, they were too late.
Response from Agent (The Play)
The following is translated from the original released statement:
“Hello, I am the agent of Choi “Zeus” Woo-je. There are currently false rumors and incorrect information circulating regarding the free agent process of Choi “Zeus” Woo-je with T1. We are currently monitoring and preparing to respond.
We would like to make it clear that many of the rumors about Zeus currently circulating in the community differ from the facts that our agency is aware of and has recorded. To protect the players, we will release a statement after checking the situation.
*If a player continues to suffer damage, we will open up all stages of negotiation as necessary.
T1’s Wrath Now Unfolds
The biggest concern comes in the aftermath of Zeus’ decision and how it unfolded. According to T1, some of the actions taken by the agent (The Play) could be deemed as ‘operating within a gray area’.
A massive part of the anger comes from the fact that T1 and Zeus had reached a verbal agreement prior to negotiations breaking down.
T1’s 2025 Branding Plan: Down in Flames
Reportedly, T1’s initial plan involved Faker as the centerpiece. They attempted to carry out this plan by offering multi-year contracts to all the players and meeting all the individual players’ desired conditions.
Despite that, the action of this agent reportedly, has derailed the entire plan. The planned new branding of ‘ZOFGK’ which included new merchandise has been canceled. Merchandise orders (T1’s new Worlds V5 Merch series) are experiencing a large amount of cancellations.
T1 is now allegedly collecting evidence of the agent’s wrongdoings and intends to submit it as ‘proof of content’. The intention is to bring to light the action of the agency and agent to the public, as well as pursue legal action.
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Featured Image Credit: Liu YiCun/Riot Games
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