It’s hard to comprehend what happened to deny Dignitas a place in the League of Legends franchise, but that was the news that came late last week out of ESPN’s Jacob Wolf. With only ten slots for the 2018 year, it was obvious there would be heavy competition from the current teams as well as teams from the Challenger Series and from outside the established organization, but no one imagined that staples to the stage like Team Dignitas would not make the cut.

As early as the knockout stage of the NA LCS, teams were already beginning to worry about their future, and this is especially true for many of the players. Though the longevity of an esports player has yet to be tested, it is a highly competitive field, with most teams changing their rosters several times a year. For players, this makes enfranchisement an even scarier prospect, but for Dignitas, who placed fourth in the NA LCS, it came as a complete surprise, as coach SaintVicious showed he found out the team didn’t make it from twitter.

It is especially bittersweet for a team that helped to establish League of Legends as an esport. Dignitas has been with the NA LCS since the very start, competing since before the League was even established in the smattering of tournaments cobbled together. As an organization, they never knew great fame, but individually, they fostered and worked with some of the biggest names in LoL esports.

Many players – like Voyboy, Scarra, and Imaqtpie – left the professional scene to continue playing the game for fans. They are all prominent streamers that continue to support and grow the community. In fact, Imaqtpie boasts the largest League of Legends fan following, and Scarra has made it to the analysts desk more than a few times. The roster has also been shared by many of the staples of the organization, many who are still involved with League to this day. Crumbzz should be familiar as an analyst from the second week of the Worlds group stage, and he once played on Dignitas’ most popular roster.

For a team that did much to build the legacy of the game, it is a fond farewell. We will still see them across other esports, but for now, they have had their final day on the Rift. It also paints a grim picture for many of the teams still awaiting a final decision. Team Dignitas had a partnership with the Philadelphia 76ers, and even that and a legacy within League of Legends did not protect them. This is especially worrying for the bottom six teams, but even the top three must be worried after this shake-up. No one knows exactly who will take the final spots (although we are pretty sure TSM will).