Los Angeles-based esports organization CLG will lay off a large amount of staff except for its League of Legends Championship (LCS) team, according to LoL content creator Travis Gafford. The Esports Advocate has independently confirmed with several current CLG employees that layoffs are indeed happening, but the scale and scope of the situation at the Los Angeles-based esports organization as described by a video from LoL content creator Travis Gafford on Monday can not be independently verified by TEA, as of this writing.
In a video released Monday evening, Gafford claims that CLG staff were informed on Monday that they will be laid off and that the only thing the company will keep operational is its League of Legends team. He also claims that LA-based esports organization NRG Esports will either work with the team or is interested in purchasing the franchise slot. CLG is owned by Madison Square Garden Entertainment, who, according to Gafford, is either selling the brand or shutting it down at a date to be determined. TEA could not verify the veracity of Gafford’s story, as of this writing.
TEA has reached out to leadership at NRG and CLG for comment, as well as a number of CLG employees and Madison Square Garden Entertainment, and will update this story as more information becomes available.
CLG currently operates teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (which will be replaced by Counter-Strike 2 in 2024), Fortnite, Valorant, Apex Legends, employs multiple content creators, and two players and one coach dedicated to Super Smash Bros.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.