It’s not often that a story in esports makes you pause. But when Team Vitality announced that Tekken legend Jeon “Jeondding” Sang-hyun had renewed his contract until 2030, it did exactly that. A five-year deal in a scene built on short-term results? Almost unheard of.
Curious about how such a long-term partnership could even happen, I spoke with both sides of the deal – Danny Engels, Team Vitality’s director of esports and one of the most seasoned executives in the industry, and Jeondding himself, whose charisma and competitive poise have made him a fan-favourite across the fighting game community.