UPDATE 10/29:  A day after initial reports pointing towards the separation, TSM has confirmed in an official announcement this afternoon that support Hu "SwordArt" Shuo-Chieh, whom TSM signed to a two-year, $6 million contract, is parting ways with the organization.

Original story:

According to a report by Dot Esports, SwordArtis leaving the TSM organization just one year into his two year contract. SwordArt initially signed with TSM last year for $6 million. The addition of the star Suning player and 2020 Worlds finalist at the time was seen as one of the biggest signings of that year.

However, SwordArt’s tenure with TSM was not as successful as what was expected. The team failed to win the 2021 Mid-Season Showdown, and ultimately bottomed out of the LCS Championship in fourth place. The organization narrowly missed being invited to the 2021 World Championship. Individually, the former LMS MVP was only able to make a single All-Pro Team—announced as part of the LCS Spring 2021 3rd All-Pro Team.

It is not the first major development in TSM’s roster going into 2022. The news comes shortly after the announcement that longtime mid laner Søren "Bjergsen" Bjerg has decided to leave TSM in search of a playing career with another team.

In a video on the organization’s social media, Reginald announced that TSM’s future roster will focus on finding up and coming players, and build the team culture around them. Whether the organization will make more blockbuster signings has yet to be seen. The announcement comes shortly after TSM narrowly lost their chance at having a qualifying spot for the 2021 League of Legends Championship while competing in the LCS championship.

Whether SwordArt will play on another LCS team, or potentially play in another region is yet to be known. SwordArt was the first LMS/PCS player to play in the LCS, as well as the first LMS/Player outside of the Taipei Assassins to compete in a Worlds final. He has achieved domestic success in the LMS and LPL, in addition to winning several international competitions at Intel Extreme Masters.