Ron Moore, CEO of Sentinels has filed a suit against Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in response to the company’s pending purchase of Echo Fox’s LCS franchise slot, according to a report from ESPN.
Sentinels is partnered with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, with the former operating Los Angeles Gladiators, the Overwatch League franchise owned by the latter.
The suit sees Moore claim that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment violated a verbal agreement made between the two parties; he alleges that he made a joint venture agreement with Josh Kroenke earlier this year regarding the company’s esports initiatives. To resolve the dispute, Moore wants a 51 percent stake in KSE Esports, a joint venture launched to operate Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s esports efforts.
As per a previous report, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has agreed to purchase Echo Fox’s LCS slot for $30.25 million (£24.2 million) – dependent on approval from Riot Games. Echo Fox had been given a 60-day period to remove Amit Raizada, a shareholder that allegedly used racist language towards both Rick Fox and Jace Hall, but couldn’t oust him in time.
This isn’t the only instance of a LCS slot being sold. Immortals Gaming Club acquired Infinite Esports & Entertainment in June and will rebrand the OpTic Gaming franchise to Immortals starting 2020. Earlier that month, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) acquired the Clutch Gaming franchise and announces plans to reintroduce its Dignitas brand to the LCS in 2020 also.
Esports Insider says: This is a messy situation. Considering the time-sensitive nature of Echo Fox needing to find a buyer for its LCS slot, it seems reasonable to assume that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment had rushed to reach an agreement with the organisation and Rob Moore is obviously unhappy that Sentinels wasn’t involved. We’re unsure how this will play out but it’s one to keep an eye on.
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