While ZYB seemed to be coming to an end after the Invitational, an unexpected turn of events propelled the team into the LFL Spring Split 2026, thanks to withdrawals and negotiations with the league. Nisqy looks back on the creation of the project, the Invitational recap, and the behind-the-scenes story of this surprise integration.
How was the ZYB project built?
The ZYB project was originally Ripp's idea, he's the one who came up with it. Initially, I was headed toward a completely different project with international players, something ultra-competitive. But he convinced me to step away from the tryhard mindset, and in the end he was 100% right, I don't regret it at all. Sometimes I see messages in chat like "RIPP OUT"; Ripp gets a lot of criticism, but he's really good and truly committed. We expected anything but this from him and I thought he'd be the biggest inter of all, but in the end he's almost the one I have the least to complain about.
What's your takeaway from this LFL Invitational?
We had a great time. It was a good project, and the early results were beneficial for us, especially in terms of viewers. We're a content-driven project, created to have fun together as brothers. It's first and foremost about entertaining people and enjoying ourselves, and so far, that's worked out well.
Why this turnaround, and why are you in the Spring Split?
We were going to stop after the tournament, I'd even teased the end of ZYB on stream. But during discussions, the LFL offered us a spot following several withdrawals. I was already in contact with them, so it came together pretty quickly. We took a step toward them and they took a step toward us to find ways to integrate us into the league as smoothly as possible. They were really great with us.
According to our sources, there were negotiations with the league, particularly regarding streaming and Ripp?
Yes (laughs). Since he doesn't want to show his face, he couldn't be included in the league's mandatory assets and media day. That's another area where the league met us halfway, they allowed us to respect Ripp's choice. As for streaming, it was a non-negotiable condition for us to be able to keep streaming our POVs and our matches. The project doesn't make sense otherwise. The LFL agreed, and that's what unlocked the situation on my end.
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