Riot Games Drops TALON Esports From VCT Pacific & LCP Amid Crisis

Riot Games has formally terminated TALON Esports' partnership in both the VCT Pacific (VALORANT) and LCP (League of Legends Championship Pacific) circuits, alleging recurrent financial issues. 

Riot, in its LCP and VCT Update, claims to have worked with TALON for more than a month, providing various extensions, but the group failed to stabilize its operations and finances, leaving it unable to meet league requirements. 

TALON Esports' exit comes during the offseason, not long after a scandal was unveiled regarding its inability to repay interest on a $1 million (~£742,668) loan. The problem got worse when former TALON streamer Chang 'Zod' Po-Cheng stated on stream that the organization owes him months of unpaid salary, raising further questions about the company's financial condition.

Meanwhile, TALON, in a statement, attributed the situation to delays in a fundraising round that was supposed to fund the payroll and operations across its esports subsidiaries. Additionally, Jake Sin, Head of APAC VALORANT Esports, said in his post that all TALON players have been released and are now free agents. 

What's Next for TALON Players?

The current roster of TALON players included Thanamethk “Crws” Mahatthananuyut, Tanate “Killua” Teerasawad, Anupong “thyy” Preamsak, Jittana “JitBoyS” Nokngam, Papaphat “primmie” Sriprapha, and Thanachart “Surf” Rungapajaratkul as a sub.

Nevertheless, Jake highlighted that the players “are more than welcome” in the ecosystem, “whether as part of another team or even across multiple teams.” TALON has also assured that they will help the players in their search for another organization. 

As per TALON’s official statement, their “current priority” is to ensure that their talented roster "can compete as a team under a new organization for the upcoming season." The organization is in touch with Riot as well, “to facilitate a smooth transition" and "will provide whatever additional support" is needed by the players.

This is a significant blow to the Pacific-area esports landscape, as TALON (also known as PSG Talon in League of Legends) has been a regular and one of the few top-tier teams to represent the region at international events.

While this is not Riot's first such step, KOI was pulled out from VCT EMEA earlier this year. TALON's departure highlights rising concerns about the financial stability of partner teams in the rapidly expanding esports industry.

With the organisation eliminated from both games, each league must now find another partner for its competition. “As for a replacement team, we’re going to run a selective application process to find one before our 2026 season begins,” said Jake. “Our priority is to identify a team that can resonate with our Thai community to ensure we maintain representation in VCT Pacific,” he further stated.