5 major kespa teams dropping their players isnt an a nail in the coffin?
now with this plus the region lock many players wont be able to make a living, and it will make an impact on the GSL
To be honest, I don't really want to defend SC II.
I won't die of woe if it would really die. Unlike Brood War, SC II is grotesque and too... pop. And, after LotV release, there is no other strategy in TvT but tankivacs; battlecruisers and swarm hosts are never used, and carriers are replaced by tempests in 90% cases. But, nvm. I'll try to explain.
Proleague shutting down doesn't impact on Starcraft popularity outside of South Korea at all. After LotV release Starcraft popularity significantly raised in China, Europe and North America. As for South Korea, SC II hasn't ever been really popular there. Overwatch release was probably the most fatal strike to SC II popularity in SK (which is kinda surprising, as I can't stand it at all). And, the biggest Proleague sponsors - KT, SKT, CJ, MVP - aren't interested in global scene, they focus only on South Korea market. For example, have you seen/heard much about Hot6, their energetic drink, outside of South Korea? I don't think so, but it is very actively advertised on Proleague events. So, it is pretty much natural that they decided to give up SC II.
Yeah, Proleague has great psychological meaning, but there are a lot of other events, which are even more attractive, as in the last years Proleague was kinda separate from the other SC II world... Its collapse would be fatal for Brood War as there were almost no professional Brood War players outside of South Korea. What is really bad is the disbanding of the biggest and most significant teams. Well, SC II can be compared with chess: less players, less money, less popularity than, say, in football (LoL or DotA), but these games have small range of their loyal fans.
