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PSG Talon has been one of the biggest highlights in the League of Legends community this year, and this Sportskeeda exclusive will feature one of the key figures behind the team's inspiring success story.
Dohoon Kim, the current Chief Gaming Officer of Talon Esports joined the Hong Kong based Esports organization in 2019 as a General Manager. He is a rostering expert and is currently responsible for managing 4 of Talon Esports' professional teams (League of Legends, Arena of Valor, Rainbow Six, and Overwatch).
Kim played a major role in rebuilding the PSG Talon: League of Legends squad and the success came quicker than anyone expected. They are currently the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) champions, winning both of the region's last two splits. Also this year at MSI, PSG Talon showcased one of the best ever performances by a minor-region team in the history of competitive League of Legends.
In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Sayantan Chowdhury, Kim Dohoon opened up about his career path, working style, and his vision for the future with PSG Talon.
The following is an excerpt of the conversation.
Q. From being a marketing event specialist at Nike Sports Korea to building and managing four professional esports teams as the Chief Gaming Officer of Talon Esports, you are a true inspiration for aspiring professionals. Sir, can you please enlighten us about your journey and what motivated you to step into the world of esports?
Dohoon Kim: I have always been a big sports and esports fan since I was a kid. Even when I was in the field of sports, I always had an eye out for esports and was thinking that esports would be the next big thing. So when I first got the chance to join esports, I thought it was a pretty natural transition for me.
Q. PSG Talon has been one of the biggest surprises in the present competitive League of Legends scene. With just one defeat in twenty-seven games at the PCS Spring 2021, the team went on to reach the semifinals of the MSI this year. What was the key to such an amazing performance showcase?
Dohoon Kim: Firstly, we were able to bring in great coaches that both have experience as a pro player and coach, so they have a great understanding of professional players and the game.
Secondly, our team has been together for over a year. We only added 1 player to our former roster which is Maple and him having a lot of experience and a great personality that bonded our team much stronger. The chemistry of the team is really building up for our Summer Split and Worlds.
Q. You were integral in building the current PSG Talon roster. Can you talk us through some ideas that went behind team-building and what you and your team were expecting out of it in the long run? Did it ever cross your mind that PSG could make it to the MSI semi-finals, dueling with some of the biggest global League of Legends heavyweights?
Dohoon Kim: Our team has only been on the LOL scene for 1.5 years now. Last year was our first year in LOL, so I wanted to make a strong structure as soon as possible. It was quite a succes looking at the results, and this year I wanted to develop the team with more depth. So far the results are coming as planned.
I plan to keep bringing in depth with great players and also want to add young hungry upcoming talent for the longer run. When I was planning out our goals with my coaches earlier this year, we always had the semifinals in mind for MSI. So the semifinals wasn’t a big surprise to me. I was just a little disappointed we weren’t able to win it.
Q. You have been associated with Talon Esports for over 2 years. How has the partnership with PSG Esports benefited Talon Esports to grow as a brand in terms of vision and future goals?
Dohoon Kim: Having to partner up with a big name like PSG is beneficial in all areas. Even if you are not a fan of football, most people know PSG. Partnering up with PSG allows Talon Esports to have a broader reach of audience and partnerships.
It also lets us explore other areas outside of esports such as apparel, etc. I believe it will help Talon Esports to develop more as a platform than an esports organization that runs teams.
Q. The situation with Unified’s health issues has been pretty unfortunate over the past few months. Someone like Unified is an asset to any top League of Legends team in the competitive scene. Is he doing better now? Can we expect to see Unified back in the bot lane for PSG Talon in the upcoming PCS summer?
Dohoon Kim: Unified is 99% recovered from his illness and we expect him to be in full power for PCS Summer and Worlds.
Q. I am sure it was not easy seeing one of your most dependable starting players miss out on an important tournament like that. How was it possible to build such an outstanding team synergy with Doggo at the very last moment, heading to MSI?
Dohoon Kim: Since we didn’t have a lot of time to practice with Doggo, we tried to develop our drafts around the champions Doggo was most comfortable with. Doggo being a smart player adjusted well to our team style as well.
Q. The recent success stories of PSG Talon, regionally and internationally, have taken over social media by storm and have attracted several fanatics from the League of Legends community. What goals do you have for the next season? Can we expect to see another upgrade on the team roster anytime soon?
Dohoon Kim: Our goal is to win the Summer split and go to the Worlds without any mishappenings this time. Our players are developing every day, and that is in itself an upgrade to the team roster.
Q. You manage Talon’s all four teams of League of Legends, Arena of Valor, Rainbow Six, and Overwatch. Even if you don’t necessarily have to excel at the games yourself, I bet that as a team manager you need to have a good knowledge of each of them. Which game is your personal favorite?
Dohoon Kim: I don’t really have a personal favorite when it comes to watching our games. Every game is exciting and nerve racking. When it comes to playing, I enjoy playing Overwatch, cause you suffer the least amount of time when there are trolls on your team.
Q. You have been into several fields of management, be it sales accounts for products or managing a sports team. What has been the most highlighted phase of your entire professional career so far? Do you have plans to change your domain from esports in the future?
Dohoon Kim: Managing sports teams and athletes was the most highlighted phase of my career so far. Those experiences helped me the most in my current job. Many esports players seem to have a hard time taking care of themselves. But having worked with so many athletes in the past allows me to help them out and also maintain high standards for our players and coaches.
As for plans for the future, I want to be able to get our teams to the top of the food chain before I think about changing domains or other things.
Q. Though the Indian esports scene is still in its infancy, it has got lots of scope for the future considering the increase in popularity of games like Valorant, PUBG Mobile, and Free Fire over the past few years. Any advice you would like to give to the Indian esports fanatics, looking to build a career in esports administration?
Dohoon Kim: I don’t think I’m at the point to give others advice yet. But esports administration is the same as any other job. Take it seriously, be diligent and keep your eyes open.
