After Team 8 announced that they would be selling their LCS spot last month, someone has finally taken them up on their offer. New esports organisation “Immortals,” funded by venture capital and various private investors, has acquired the Team 8 brand and their LCS spot.
Immortals’s list of investors spans numerous noteworthy names throughout gaming and entertainment. Among them are Peter Levin, President of Lionsgate Interactive Ventures and Games; Steve Kaplan, Oaktree Capital Principal and Chairman and Co-Owner of the Memphis Grizzlies; Allen Debevoise, Chairman of Machinima; Gregory Milken, March Capital Partners Managing Director; Paul Rappoport, COO of the XPRIZE; Brian Lee, Co-Founder of Legalzoom, Honest Company, BAM Ventures; Akinobu Yorihiro, and U.S. CEO of Japanese media juggernaut Yoshimoto Kogyo.
The most curious name among the investors? Linkin Park. Machine Shop Ventures, the business alter-alias of Linkin Park has a stake in the fledgling esports organisation.
Immortals is also looking to expand into other esports besides League of Legends.
“Expect to see us expanding rapidly into other top eSports like Counter Strike and DOTA 2. We recognize that the best way to grow the Immortals franchise is to work in conjunction with other team owners across every title to help the entire eSports ecosystem expand in a healthy way. We look forward to industry-wide conversations about sustainable business practices, competitive regulation, and player treatment and representation, says Immortals CEO Noah Whinston”