LCK Limits 'Salary Cap' Exceptions to 2 Players... Direct Hit to Gen.G's '4-Player Reduction'

LCK Limits 'Salary Cap' Exceptions to 2 Players... Direct Hit to Gen.G's '4-Player Reduction' Kookmin Ilbo Korea's professional League of Legends (LoL) esports league, 'LoL Champions Korea (LCK),' has revised its Financial Fair Play (FFP) system. As the season is set to end in two months, followed immediately by the opening of the transfer market, this regulatory revision is expected to influence the market landscape.
When the system was first introduced, the LCK provided exceptions where the salaries of long-term players or those who achieved excellent results in international and domestic competitions would only be reflected at 30–50% of their actual amount toward the total salary cap. However, through this revision, the number of eligible players for these exceptions will be limited to two per team. This directly impacts the professional gaming organization 'Gen.G,' which was expected to have four out of its five starting players eligible for reductions following recent championship wins.
Regarding this, the LCK explained, "While LCK teams maintain competitiveness in international tournaments, we determined that continuing to operate the existing system would make it difficult for the exceptions to function as intended, as the number of eligible players would continue to accumulate." They added, "If a single team holds multiple players eligible for reductions, a significant portion of the roster's spending would be discounted, potentially lowering the effectiveness of the Financial Fair Play system." It is reported that some teams raised concerns that the gap between wealthy and poor teams would widen, as teams like Gen.G would see an increase in eligible players the better they perform.
The LCK stated, "The Financial Fair Play system was introduced to increase the financial sustainability of teams while maintaining an appropriate level of investment in players and league competitiveness. This is a matter we decided to review every two years since the system's introduction in 2024. We have comprehensively reviewed whether the overall system, including the spending cap, is operating according to its original intent and whether there are areas requiring supplementation in the actual implementation process."