Explaining the full contract drama between T1 and Zeus

The drama surrounding Zeus and his exit from T1 has left fans wondering what happened,

T1 is undoubtedly in the running for the GOAT team in all of League of Legends esports. As the team built its roster and honed its skills, T1 earned its first World Championship victory in 2013. Since then, the organization has won the biggest prize in LoL esports several times while being keyed by its star players.

While veteran mid laner Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok has undoubtedly played a large role in T1‘s dominance, many of the team’s other members have also been fantastic players. Among the most exciting members to join T1 in recent years was Choi “Zeus” Woo-je. As top laner, Zeus helped T1 achieve victory twice at Worlds.

A few weeks after the Worlds 2024 victory,  T1 announced Zeus’ exit from the iconic roster, and it quickly turned into drama that continues to come further to light.

When did Zeus exit from T1?

Zeus took his exit from T1 on November 19, 2024. The organization announced Zeus’ departure on the official T1 League of Legends account. The news was met with widespread criticism and confusion among the community, as T1 had just won the Worlds and Zeus played a significant role in the team’s Worlds victories in 2023 and 2024.

Worlds 2024 – T1 vs BLG – Grand Final

Choi “Doran” Hyeon-jun replaced Zeus as the top laner for T1. Formerly of Gen.G fame, Doran and his teammates beat T1 in multiple events throughout 2023. While Doran is an accomplished player, he has yet to achieve a Worlds victory. Some believe T1 may be the environment for Doran to finally add Worlds to his accolades, but others saw him as a downgrade from Zeus.

Why did Zeus leave T1?

Zeus reportedly left T1 due to contract disputes between T1 and his agency, THE PLAY. In a November 2024 AMA with FM Korea, T1 CEO Joe Marsh revealed the difficulties around negotiating Zeus’ T1 contract. According to Marsh, THE PLAY agency did not respond with counters to T1’s offers during negotiations. He also claimed the agency focused on its own profits over Zeus’ long-term career growth.

In response to these claims, THE PLAY CEO Kang Beom-jun released a statement in March 2025. As reported by Inven Korea, THE PLAY wanted to clear its name by breaking down exactly what happened with negotiations on Zeus’ T1 contract.

What team did Zeus join after leaving T1?

Zeus joined Hanhwa Life Esports (HLE) after the organization reportedly offered the player a more lucrative contract than T1. According to THE PLAY, Marsh’s claims of THE PLAY focusing on “financial gain” were untrue, and that was not leveraging the player’s negotiations for its own benefit.

The organization also claims to have made counter-offers to T1, despite Marsh saying otherwise. THE PLAY implied that T1′ initial offer didn’t match its expectations given Zeus’ accomplishments with the organization. Zeus himself spoke with T1 representatives, but to no avail.

Zeus and THE PLAY sought to establish a baseline for an initial offer by seeking out other interested esports organizations. Eventually, HLE offered a contract that satisfied both Zeus and THE PLAY.

One notable detail was that HLE reportedly offered Zeus a 1+1 player option contract. This meant that Zeus could pick whether or not to continue with HLE after a single year. By contrast, T1 allegedly offered a 1+1 team option contract, which meant that T1 would decide whether Zeus would continue with the side after one year. Zeus and his agency opted for the HLE contract that would give them more control.

At the end of the statement, THE PLAY offered to disclose the entirety of negotiations with T1 publicly, as long as T1 also consents. Regardless of the dispute between organizations, fans hope Zeus continues playing at the top of the LoL esports scene, no matter his team.