Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou has purchased the Season Two World Champions.

In a press conference held early this morning, Taipei Assassins and Jay Chou announced that Chou would be purchasing the team for an as yet undisclosed amount of money. According to coverage from gaming.QQ (link in Chinese), Chou is himself a regular League of Legends player and has held a long-term interest in purchasing a competitive team. The news follows a teaser released by Chou’s entertainment company yesterday, which depicted the team’s roster in silhouette, spurring fans to predict and speculate on the nature of the transaction.

Taipei Assassins gained world-wide fame after winning the Season Two World Championships prior to the founding of the LCS, but have been quiet on the international stage since. They have remained consistently strong contenders within their region, making the playoffs in every single split. This Spring, the Assassins finished 4th overall in the LMS, which is comprised of teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Chou’s purchase also includes the Assassins’ associated challenger team, the Taipei Berserkers. The Berserkers finished in a tie for first in the ECS, the LMS challenger league, and are currently in playoffs for a promotion tournament spot. While the Assassins will be rebranded as “Team J,” it’s not yet known how the Berskers identity will be affected.

For League of Legends fans in the western hemisphere, it might sound like a gimmick for a team to be purchased by Kato from The Green Hornet, but this is hardly small news. Known originally for his music before breaking into acting and eventually entertainment production and management, Jay Chou has drawn earnest media comparisons to Justins Bieber and Timberlake, Taylor Swift, and even Michael Jackson. Chou is a household name in Asia, and with this move he eclipses Rick Fox to become the biggest celebrity worldwide to own a League of Legends team. He also apparently plays a decent Yi. It’s hard to hear that a longstanding team with a world championship pedigree will be rebranded under a pop star’s name, but it’s hard to worry too much with this Jay Chou League of Legends song stuck in our heads:

Have you heard of Jay Chou? What do you think of him buying TPA? Let us know in the comments!