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League of Legends Offseason: Ruler departs from LCK's Gen.G after seven years

Ruler is Gen.G's first bot laner. (Photo: Riot Games)
Ruler is Gen.G's first bot laner. (Photo: Riot Games)

The League of Legends (LoL) Free Agency period is just around the corner, and both teams and players are busy making their next move ahead of the 2023 season.

One of the first to reveal their departure from a team is Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk, Gen.G’s first and original bot laner since the team was formed.

This was announced in a tweet by Gen.G on Thursday (10 November).

A five-minute video tribute was released by Gen.G as well. “I’ve given a lot of thought before I decided to leave my beloved old team, and it still doesn’t feel real that I’ll be leaving Gen.G,” Ruler said in the video.

The bot laner then went on to thank all his teammates in the past and in the present.

Before joining Gen.G, Ruler started his esports career with Stardust before moving to Samsung Galaxy a few months later. The team was then acquired by KSV Esports in 2017, which was renamed Gen.G in 2018.

“Looking back to when I first joined Gen.G, I was a player who wanted to do the best and desperately wanted to win,” said Ruler.

“That being so, I was so happy playing and winning at Gen.G.”

Gen.G's former bot laner also showed gratitude to his fans.

“Thanks to my fans, I was able to grow up. You were with me when I overcame the challenges and proved myself,” added Ruler.

While Gen.G often had strong performances in the past, Ruler and his team have been plagued mostly by runner-up titles in the LoL Championship Korea (LCK).

Ruler finally won a regional trophy for Gen.G last Summer after 7 years with the organisation (Photo: Riot Games)
Ruler finally won a regional trophy for Gen.G last Summer after 7 years with the organisation (Photo: Riot Games)

Ruler finally got his first LCK trophy last Summer, where he and the team pulled off a 3-0 upset sweep against T1 to claim Gen.G’s first regional title. The bot laner was also notably named Player of the Split.

"Being the Summer Champion will remain the most memorable moment of all time,” Ruler said of winning the 2022 LCK 2022 title.

The team then participated at Worlds Worlds 2022 as LCK’s first seed.

In Groups, Ruler and his team demolished Group D and secured first seed into the Knockouts. They then outlasted 2020 World Champions DAMWON KIA Gaming in the quarterfinals. The team were defeated by eventual World champions DRX in a 3-1 upset at the semifinals, ending their run in 3rd-4th place.

Until Worlds this year, Ruler consistently carried his team throughout team fights and even cleaned up after their mistakes, constantly finding ways for a comeback and extend their game.

“The support and love I’ve received at Gen.G will keep me going and push me forward,” said Ruler.

Gen.G CEO Arnold Hur tweeted that there was an option to extend Ruler’s contract, but “knew there’s no way we would stand in his way.”

Gen.G decided to retire Ruler’s jersey number (1) within the Gen.G LoL team, in honour of his legacy.

It hasn’t been confirmed which team Ruler will join for 2023, and he’s most likely still negotiating with different teams until then.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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