“An Unbreakable Spirit”
This phrase not only captures the essence of DRX’s legendary 2022 League of Legends World Championship, but has since become the core identity of the organization itself.
Following their 2022 miracle run, DRX experienced a period of lackluster performance - but in 2025, the team is embarking on a new challenge under the slogan, “Unbreakable Spirit.”
DRX in 2025 is brimming with energy compared to 2024. DRX VALORANT claimed the 2025 VCT Pacific Kickoff Championship, while DRX League of Legends reached the LCK Cup Play-In stage despite the absence of their starting ADC Teddy (Jinsung Park) to start the season. With impressive teamwork and clever plays even in unfavorable situations, DRX has raised expect ations among their fans.
Additionally, Knee (Jae min Bae) and LeShar (Moonsup Shin) are also continuing their strong momentum in TEKKEN8 and Street Fighter 6 respectively. The organization has since launched a new FC Online team, and has been actively expanding its marketing efforts and communication with the fans. With strong momentum, fans and insiders alike are watching closely to see just how far DRX can soar in 2025.
On March 11th, we sat down with DRX CEO Sun Il Yang, who leads the renewed DRX with an unbreakable spirit, to talk about the team’s current status and the direction the organization is heading in.
A Transformed DRX: “The Essence of Esports is to Bring Joy”
Sun Il Yang - CEO of DRX - emphasized that the core value he prioritizes the most while leading DRX is to deliver joy among fans. “The biggest question is always how and in what way we can bring joy. Everyone at DRX operates with the mindset that the essence of what we do is to deliver smiles among fans. Of course, achieving good results is the easiest and yet the most difficult way to do that,” he said.
DRX currently operates in nine titles, including League of Legends, VALORANT, PUBG Mobile, TEKKEN, Street Fighter, and FC Online. Yang believes that multi-title management enhances the franchise's overall value. “Back in 2007, I managed a team for the Championship Gaming Series, handling 5 to 6 titles. During my MVP days, we left a strong legacy across various titles even as a non-corporate team,” he explained. “I’ve always thought about how to manage multiple games efficiently. Ultimately, our activities are at the top of the community structure. Even when it’s time to end a division, it should be done gracefully.”
Since some organizations have struggled to manage multiple titles effectively and ended up disbanding teams, there have been concerns. In response, Yang stated: “All of our staff, myself included, have experience producing world champions in games that weren’t initially popular in Korea. Even before the emergence of events like the EWC, we had a clear vision for the future. If DRX enters a new title, we won’t just half-heartedly participate and quit.”
As for future expansion, Yang stated: “We’re always ready to jump in when an opportunity comes. But of course, we won’t recklessly add titles—we’ll do so only with a well-prepared plan.”
He also shared a positive outlook on the Esports World Cup (EWC): “For esports teams to prove commercial value, participating in tournaments is essential. More tournaments mean more opportunities—it’s a definite plus. From a media perspective, appearing once versus ten times a month is a huge difference. And as competition intensifies, so does the strength of competitiveness.”
However, he expressed some concern: “It’s unfortunate when games that were nearly phased out suddenly revive and cause player salary inflation. It’s fine to collaborate with well-established ecosystems, but unstable ones can create problems.”
The Fact Is: DRX Is in a Healthy Place – The Secret Behind DRX’s Profitability
Financial sustainability and independence are major concerns for most esports organizations. But DRX is relatively free from this worry—they are already operating in the black. “Since 2024, DRX has been profitable, and I’m confident the scale of that profit will continue to grow,” Yang said. He continued, “We’re not making massive investments—we’ve achieved economic efficiency through smart management. The path to sustainability is to accomplish more with less investment. We absolutely avoid overpaying. Rewards should come after performance, not before. Otherwise, it’s bad for both the team and the players.”
DRX’s Academy program is also thriving. “When I first took office, there were around 60 to 70 students—now we have about 200. We see strong growth potential, and our location outside of Gangnam (where teams like Gen.G and T1 are based) actually gives us a geographic advantage,” he said with a laugh.
As esports organizations explore various revenue models, homeground events—like the one launched by T1 in 2024—are gaining attention. Yang, however, shared a more cautious stance: “We’ve just merged and expanded our organization, so we haven’t had the capacity to consider that yet. But if the opportunity arises, I’d love to do it.” He continued, “T1 hosting a homeground event was significant. They’ve created a structure that gives their brand lasting value. While T1 is a competitor in many titles, I think it was a great example of how to grow the esports scene overall.”
Toward Becoming Asia’s No.1 Brand –
“We Hope Our Passion for Esports Shines Through”
In explaining DRX’s 2025 direction, CEO Yang highlighted global expansion.“When DRX first started, we only had League of Legends. Now we’re running nine titles. 2025 will be the year we truly enter the global market. We already have a team in Japan, a Vietnamese player—LazyFeel (Tran Bao Minh)—and we’re considering expansion into Vietnam. Our goal is to become the first name that comes to mind when people think of top esports organizations in Asia.”
DRX recently garnered attention in Vietnam by fielding LazyFeel in the LCK Cup, making his debut a prominent topic. “After LazyFeel’s debut, Vietnamese Facebook went wild. Each region has different dominant platforms, and in Vietnam, Facebook is huge. So we’ve started posting everything in Vietnamese—it’s been very effective,” he said.
Finally, we asked Yang what kind of value he hopes the DRX name will hold in the long term. He answered: “From a personal perspective, I want industry professionals and fans alike to feel that DRX is sincere about esports, sets a good example, and aims to create a positive impact. It’s natural for companies to pursue profit, but we never want to come across as being slaves to money.”
He concluded with a message of gratitude to the fans who have stood by DRX with unwavering spirit: “Our motto is ‘A better today than yesterday, a better tomorrow than today.’ We’ll keep striving to deliver joy beyond expectations and share that sincerity with our fans.”
“An Unbreakable Spirit”
This phrase not only captures the essence of DRX’s legendary 2022 League of Legends World Championship, but has since become the core identity of the organization itself.
Following their 2022 miracle run, DRX experienced a period of lackluster performance - but in 2025, the team is embarking on a new challenge under the slogan, “Unbreakable Spirit.”
DRX in 2025 is brimming with energy compared to 2024. DRX VALORANT claimed the 2025 VCT Pacific Kickoff Championship, while DRX League of Legends reached the LCK Cup Play-In stage despite the absence of their starting ADC Teddy (Jinsung Park) to start the season. With impressive teamwork and clever plays even in unfavorable situations, DRX has raised expect ations among their fans.
Additionally, Knee (Jae min Bae) and LeShar (Moonsup Shin) are also continuing their strong momentum in TEKKEN8 and Street Fighter 6 respectively. The organization has since launched a new FC Online team, and has been actively expanding its marketing efforts and communication with the fans. With strong momentum, fans and insiders alike are watching closely to see just how far DRX can soar in 2025.
On March 11th, we sat down with DRX CEO Sun Il Yang, who leads the renewed DRX with an unbreakable spirit, to talk about the team’s current status and the direction the organization is heading in.
A Transformed DRX: “The Essence of Esports is to Bring Joy”
Sun Il Yang - CEO of DRX - emphasized that the core value he prioritizes the most while leading DRX is to deliver joy among fans. “The biggest question is always how and in what way we can bring joy. Everyone at DRX operates with the mindset that the essence of what we do is to deliver smiles among fans. Of course, achieving good results is the easiest and yet the most difficult way to do that,” he said.
DRX currently operates in nine titles, including League of Legends, VALORANT, PUBG Mobile, TEKKEN, Street Fighter, and FC Online. Yang believes that multi-title management enhances the franchise's overall value. “Back in 2007, I managed a team for the Championship Gaming Series, handling 5 to 6 titles. During my MVP days, we left a strong legacy across various titles even as a non-corporate team,” he explained. “I’ve always thought about how to manage multiple games efficiently. Ultimately, our activities are at the top of the community structure. Even when it’s time to end a division, it should be done gracefully.”
Since some organizations have struggled to manage multiple titles effectively and ended up disbanding teams, there have been concerns. In response, Yang stated: “All of our staff, myself included, have experience producing world champions in games that weren’t initially popular in Korea. Even before the emergence of events like the EWC, we had a clear vision for the future. If DRX enters a new title, we won’t just half-heartedly participate and quit.”
As for future expansion, Yang stated: “We’re always ready to jump in when an opportunity comes. But of course, we won’t recklessly add titles—we’ll do so only with a well-prepared plan.”
He also shared a positive outlook on the Esports World Cup (EWC): “For esports teams to prove commercial value, participating in tournaments is essential. More tournaments mean more opportunities—it’s a definite plus. From a media perspective, appearing once versus ten times a month is a huge difference. And as competition intensifies, so does the strength of competitiveness.”
However, he expressed some concern: “It’s unfortunate when games that were nearly phased out suddenly revive and cause player salary inflation. It’s fine to collaborate with well-established ecosystems, but unstable ones can create problems.”
The Fact Is: DRX Is in a Healthy Place – The Secret Behind DRX’s Profitability
Financial sustainability and independence are major concerns for most esports organizations. But DRX is relatively free from this worry—they are already operating in the black. “Since 2024, DRX has been profitable, and I’m confident the scale of that profit will continue to grow,” Yang said. He continued, “We’re not making massive investments—we’ve achieved economic efficiency through smart management. The path to sustainability is to accomplish more with less investment. We absolutely avoid overpaying. Rewards should come after performance, not before. Otherwise, it’s bad for both the team and the players.”
DRX’s Academy program is also thriving. “When I first took office, there were around 60 to 70 students—now we have about 200. We see strong growth potential, and our location outside of Gangnam (where teams like Gen.G and T1 are based) actually gives us a geographic advantage,” he said with a laugh.
As esports organizations explore various revenue models, homeground events—like the one launched by T1 in 2024—are gaining attention. Yang, however, shared a more cautious stance: “We’ve just merged and expanded our organization, so we haven’t had the capacity to consider that yet. But if the opportunity arises, I’d love to do it.” He continued, “T1 hosting a homeground event was significant. They’ve created a structure that gives their brand lasting value. While T1 is a competitor in many titles, I think it was a great example of how to grow the esports scene overall.”
Toward Becoming Asia’s No.1 Brand –
“We Hope Our Passion for Esports Shines Through”
In explaining DRX’s 2025 direction, CEO Yang highlighted global expansion.“When DRX first started, we only had League of Legends. Now we’re running nine titles. 2025 will be the year we truly enter the global market. We already have a team in Japan, a Vietnamese player—LazyFeel (Tran Bao Minh)—and we’re considering expansion into Vietnam. Our goal is to become the first name that comes to mind when people think of top esports organizations in Asia.”
DRX recently garnered attention in Vietnam by fielding LazyFeel in the LCK Cup, making his debut a prominent topic. “After LazyFeel’s debut, Vietnamese Facebook went wild. Each region has different dominant platforms, and in Vietnam, Facebook is huge. So we’ve started posting everything in Vietnamese—it’s been very effective,” he said.
Finally, we asked Yang what kind of value he hopes the DRX name will hold in the long term. He answered: “From a personal perspective, I want industry professionals and fans alike to feel that DRX is sincere about esports, sets a good example, and aims to create a positive impact. It’s natural for companies to pursue profit, but we never want to come across as being slaves to money.”
He concluded with a message of gratitude to the fans who have stood by DRX with unwavering spirit: “Our motto is ‘A better today than yesterday, a better tomorrow than today.’ We’ll keep striving to deliver joy beyond expectations and share that sincerity with our fans.”