Steven R. May 15, 2019
Immortals is close to absorbing the parent company of OpTic Gaming.
According to Esports Insider, Immortals Gaming Club is “very likely” to succeed in its bids to buy out Infinite Esports & Entertainment. If successful, the acquisition would allow Immortals to return to the LCS and would arguably cement the organization as the largest in all of esports.
In January, reports began circulating that OpTic’s parent company was seeking a buyer for its share of the company with a price tag of $150 million. The nine-figure asking price stemmed from its ownership of franchises in two major esports: League of Legends and Overwatch.
Earlier this month, news broke that Immortals had secured $30 million from investors. The next day, Immortals bought out Brazilian esports matchmaking service Gamers Club and set its sights on returning to League of Legends through the acquisition of OpTic.
Immortals already fields teams under different names in nearly every prominent esport, owning Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s MiBR and Overwatch League’s Los Angeles Valiant. The organization previously had a League of Legends squad, but it was abruptly pushed out of the game in 2017 when it was denied a spot in the LCS by publisher Riot Games, a move that drew the ire of many fans.
The acquisition of OpTic would allow Immortals to return to LoL through the organization’s franchise in the LCS, but there are a number of potential pitfalls for the buyout. Riot Games likely has a say in whether Immortals can return to the LCS, and if the company still has the same concerns over Immortals that it did in 2017, that might prove an issue.
Another concern is the overlap in the stables of OpTic and Immortals. Overwatch League regulations bar owners from having a stake in multiple teams, which would force Immortals to sell off OpTic’s OWL team, the Houston Outlaws. Similar conflict of interest rules are in place for CS:GO majors, barring players and owners from having financial interest in the success of multiple competing teams.