LoL – G2 & Cloud9 Accused of Collusion Surrounding Sale of Perkz

League of Legends duo G2 Esports and Cloud9 are believed to have colluded in order to prevent the sale of Luka “Perkz” Perkovic. However, despite accusations, both teams have been cleared by Riot Games, following an investigation. Perkz himself appears to be closing in on a switch to Team Vitality, where he would team up with Alphari and Carzzy.

G2 and Cloud9 inserted a clause into Perkz’s buyout agreement last year, which meant that he would not be able to sign for Fnatic within three years. Dot Esports obtained a copy of the agreement, with the clause meaning that Perkz would not be in a position to join Fnatic before the end of the 2023 season.

Why Riot Stepped In to Solve the Issue

As a result, Fnatic complained to Riot via their LEC office, asking for a full investigation in the process. The deal between G2 and Cloud9 had previously been agreed by Riot’s LCS department. However, the issue was put to their global esports department, due to the teams competing in both franchises.

Ultimately, Riot found no wrongdoing, determining that the clause had no impact on Perkz’s options for the upcoming season. Fnatic and Cloud9 were unable to come to an agreement surrounding the mid laners buyout, with Team Vitality having eventually sealed a deal for the 23-year-old superstar.

What the Future Holds for Perkz

Top laner Alphari and AD carry Carzzy will also join Team Vitality, from Team Liquid and MAD Lions respectively, with the organization seemingly going all in for the 2022 season. However, as a result of the situation, Riot has stated that no such clauses will be allowed in the future. Riot, Cloud9 and G2 have all made no comment on the news as of yet.

G2 founder and CEO Carlos “ocelate” Rodriguez has previously spoken of his decision to not sell Perkz’s contract rights to Fnatic, stating that: “Imagine Perkz would have ended in Fnatic, what happens right after is the whole Fnatic team renews. Do I want that? No, because I want to have all my options open. Does that make me a bad person? Go fuck yourself if that’s what you think, so you’re incredibly fucking naive if you think that you can build a world-class, number one team that fights for trophies by letting everybody… It’s just not gonna fucking happen.”

Cloud9 had negotiated a new deal for Perkz in November 2020, having bought the mid laner out of his contract at G2. The contract was worth almost $9 million in all, making him the second highest paid LCS player, behind only TSM’s SwordArt. However, Perkz made it clear that he wished to leave Cloud9 towards the end of the 2021 season, with the Croatian wishing to return to Europe in order to be closer to his family.