Immortals Gaming Club has officially acquired Infinite Esports & Entertainment, the parent company of OpTic Gaming and Houston Outlaws.
Neil Leibman and Ray Davis of Texas Esports, the company that owned majority share in Infinite Esports & Entertainment, will become shareholders in Immortals Gaming Club. Leibman will also join the board, alongside the likes of Steve Cohen, Meg Whitman, and Steve Kaplan.
Ari Segal, CEO of Immortals Gaming Club discussed the acquisition in a release: “Today, we announced a transformative transaction for our organization and a landmark transaction for our industry. Across our family of brands, OpTic; MIBR; LA Valiant; and Immortals, IGC’s total audience size is nearly three times larger than our nearest competitors.
“At the same time, our multi-brand strategy enables us to tailor content, messaging, voice, and experience for distinct communities and audience segments, driving deeper engagement and affinity. Armed with these brands, the best fans in esports, the legacy and tradition of great teams and players, and a newly reinforced and strong balance sheet, IGC is positioned to be a market leader and model organization.”
The transaction has already been approved by Riot Games and Activision Blizzard. OpTic Gaming will rebrand to Immortals in the LCS from 2020. The company will also manage Houston Outlaws, Infinite’s Overwatch League franchise, until a new owner is found.
Pete Vlastelica, President and CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues also commented: “We remain excited by IGC’s vision for building the Los Angeles Valiant, and in order to ensure competitive integrity, as a condition of approving this merger, IGC will operate the Valiant and the Houston Outlaws as entirely separate entities with close oversight from the League Office. We believe this merger and temporary operational agreement is in the best interests of both teams.”
Esports Insider says: We knew this was coming but it’s still mind-blowing to see. The real test for Immortals Gaming Club will be retaining OpTic Gaming’s fan base, which is something we can’t see happening unless everybody jumps ship – which seems very unlikely.
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