Blacklist International eyes forming Wild Rift team in 2022

Blacklist International, a Filipino powerhouse esports organization, has announced that they plan to create a League of Legends: Wild Rift team in 2022.

Tier One Entertainment CEO Irymarc "Tryke" Gutierrez and co-founder Alodia Gosiengfiao revealed the development through a vlog uploaded on YouTube on March 14.

"Kung ako dream ko Dota, matagal na niyang kinukulit yung Blacklist Wild Rift team. This year, it's happening," said Tryke. (If it was me, my dream is a Dota [team], she [Alodia] has been bugging [to create] a Blacklist Wild Rift team for a long time. This year, it's happening.)

The Tier One CEO also said they will be launching the Wild Rift team with a partner but couldn't reveal further details as of the moment.

"This is something that the community has been waiting for," said Tryke.

He also noted that they didn't have an actual team just yet.

"For the record, ang sinasabi namin, we're going to have a team this year," explained Tryke. (For the record, what we're saying is, we're going to have a team this year.)

"Sa mga Wild Rift players dyan, look out and magpasiklab na kayo dahil it's time to break the code," added Tryke. (To Wild Rift players out there, look out and start playing well because this year, it's time to break the code.)

Tier One has been dominating the professional esports scene in the country with its Mobile Legends squad that already earned two MPL Philippines titles (S7 and S8) and the M3 World Championship.

As part of Team Sibol, the Blacklist Mobile Legends team led by its power duo players Johnmar "OhmyV33nus" Villaluna and Danerie James "Wise" Del Rosario will also represent the country in the upcoming 2021 Southeast Asian Games.

Meanwhile, its Call of Duty Mobile (CODM) team, Blacklist International Ultimate, also conquered the CODM World Championship Eastern Finals and had recently won the first-ever CODM Garena Masters 2022. Blacklist also has a Malaysian squad for the mobile battle royale title Garena Free Fire.

The Wild Rift scene in the country has garnered considerable attention since Team Secret finished fourth in last year's Wild Rift Horizon Cup. Riot Games, the maker of League of Legends' mobile version, is also hosting its own league in the country, the WCS Philippines, which features popular esports organizations such as Team Secret, Team Pacquiao GG (Team Underground), and Rex Regum Qeon (RRQ Philippines).

On the other note, with the rising popularity of Valorant and League of Legends: Wild Rift in Southeast Asia (SEA), Riot Games plans to establish an office in the Philippines as part of its expansion in Asia Pacific (APAC) region.