Tyler1 Officially Leaves Esports Team T1

Streamer Tyler "tyler1" Steinkamp has officially parted ways with the South Korean esports team T1, after he joined the group in October 2020.

League of Legends player tyler1 has had an impressive career since setting himself up on Twitch in 2013. He's gone on to gain 4.8 million followers on the Amazon-owned platform, and is considered one of the best LoL players around. So, it was no surprise that in October 2020, he was approached by renowned esports team T1 and signed as one of its content creators. 

However, it seems that the journey has come to an end for T1 and tyler1, as the two have "mutually" parted ways... for now. 

When Did tyler1 Leave T1?

On February 1, T1 tweeted: "We'd like to thank loltyler1 for being a part of the T1 family. We are thankful for the time you’ve spent here and all the memories made. We will continue to watch your growth and we know you'll continue to shine!" The tweet was accompanied by a short clip in which the team paid homage to the streamer by showing his best moments since joining T1 - including his 2020 Championship Series.

Fans were particularly upset about the news, especially because it likely means this will be the end of the wholesome streams featuring tyler1 and his buddy Lee "Faker" Sang-Hyeok. However, tyler1's fans wished him best of luck in his new venture. As one fan said: "Thank you for everything Tyler! Wished to see more content with you and Faker together! Hopefully they will come anyways in future!"

Why Did tyler1 Leave T1? 

T1 didn't give any further details as to why tyler1 left the team, but the streamer did later address it during his livestream. Speaking about the announcement, tyler1 said: "Yeah, so we're officially off T1. Sad day, guys. Sad day." He further claimed that the decision was "mutual" and there was "no reason, specifically." 

However, he flatly denied accusations that he was considered a "brand risk" by T1, which led to the parting of ways. Although, it wouldn't be the first time that tyler1 has had to defend himself.

The streamer's past behaviour towards his fellow LoL players has previously earned him the title of 'The Most Toxic Player in North America' and caused him to be banned from the game altogether. He was also met with a wave of criticism in 2021 after he slammed The Last Of Us Part 2 for "forced diversity." 

Now, tyler1's exit from T1 means he is once again a free agent again. Well, that's other than his 200-hour-a-month contract with Twitch. At the time of writing, the 26-year-old has not revealed if he has been approached by any other teams since his exit from the South Korean esports giant. However, could Team Liquid consider taking him on again as they offered to do in 2016?