GREENVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson is reportedly looking to step into the world of League of Legends (LoL) esports, making the North American Challengers League (NACL) his launching pad.
With his massive number of followers, MrBeast's entry will surely bring a fresh wave of excitement and interest to the league. Notably, NACL is the second tier of the North American League of Legends, only below the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS).
Will MrBeast join NACL?
MrBeast is one of the creators who have "apparently expressed interest in joining the NACL," according to The Game Haus' Sander Hove, who collaborates with Nick' LS' De Cesare to provide updates on the NACL scene. League of Legends esports have long been connected to MrBeast, yet he has never competed at the NACL level. However, in a guest appearance on the Worlds 2022 broadcast, he did reveal his intention to buy a slot in the LCS. MrBeast said, "Oh, yeah, 100 percent, the question is when. When we do it, I want to have a team that makes it to a stage like this." One of the most well-known LoL players in North America and the star of 100 Thieves, Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng, stated earlier this year that MrBeast joining the LCS would be "really good" for the league, which is reportedly dealing with dwindling viewership.
Other candidates who can enter NACL
Many people considered MrBeast as a potential buyer when Team SoloMid (TSM) revealed that they were selling their LCS slot. However, according to a May 20 report from The New York Times, TSM has limited their talks to "to about a dozen entities." Only a tier below the LCS, the NACL is now undergoing a significant transformation as a result of seven out of the ten LCS franchises' sudden decisions to leave after the requirement that they play in the developmental league was removed. Tyler "Tyler1" Steinkamp, a well-known LoL streamer, who initially denied joining the NACL, and Moist Esports, a company run by Charles "MoistCr1TiKaL" White Jr and Ludwig Ahgren, are also rumored to be considering joining the league. Hence, NACL might turn out to be a more successful esports league if personalities like MrBeast decide to join them.