News just broke out several minutes ago that the once revered Warcraft 3 squad has officially folded, bringing a massive shock to the whole professional gaming scene.

The widely acclaimed team began to dominate the entire Warcraft scene in 2005, following a 3-month spell of intense practicing and tournament participation in Seoul, Korea. During that year, the team was also named as the E-Sports Team of the Year, with a record-setting undefeated streak in WC3L.

Despite the team’s lackluster performance over the recent months, 4Kings still managed to be placed second at the NGL table albeit the departure of their illustrious ToD.

The team’s achievements include four WC3L victories, a notch only to be matched by rivals MeetYourMakers and SK-Gaming.

4Kings: Where will they go?

4Kings owner, Toby attributed this decision to a lack of financial support required due to the burgeoning international Warcraft 3 scene and a preference to develop home-grown talent.

He told the 4Kings website: “This is honestly the hardest call as a manager I've ever had to make. For as far back as I can remember the WarCraft core has been very close to my heart. They joined us when we first started out into the eSports world and although there has been a few changes since then the core has always remained the same, loyal and trustworthy.

“I'm sure the most obvious question to ask is why this has happened... The simple reason is, our company income is predominantly UK focussed and as the WarCraft III scene has flourished, so has the costs which are needed to support it. Financially as an organisation we need to put our focus back into the UK and have a lot of grass roots work that needs to be done and as such our efforts and budget need to be redirected closer to home.

“I have the utmost respect for the entire squad, we’ve had some great times together and I am very happy to call them my friend’s. I wish them all the very best in the future.”

Nonetheless, it is amid speculation to where the team members will move, but one thing is certain, we have come to an end of an era in Warcraft 3.

Update: With the disbandment of 4Kings, mTw-PokerRoom will be replacing them in the upcoming NGL-One playoffs. 

More statements from the players can be read here.