Immortals Gaming Club has announced the sale of one of their Overwatch League teams.
Earlier today, Immortals announced the Houston Outlaws will be sold to Beasley Media Group. This comes after Immortals purchased OpTic Gaming, a move that saw the company acquire all the organization’s players, as well as its franchises in the Overwatch League and League of Legends Championship Series.
Overwatch League regulations prevent one ownership group from owning multiple franchises, which necessitated the sale.
“[Beasley Media Group has] exciting plans to deepen the already strong connection between the Outlaws and the local Houston market and represent the ideal strategic owner for this asset,” Immortals CEO Ari Segal stated in a press release.
He went on to thank Activision Blizzard for helping to facilitate the transaction. It’s unclear how much the Houston Outlaws franchise sold for, but a spot in the Overwatch League’s second season cost between $30 million and $60 million.
According to Beasley’s press release, the Outlaws will remain officially based in Houston, and will continue to represent Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
Beasley Broadcast Group owns and operates 65 stations throughout the United States. According to the Immortal’s press release, the media company has 19 million listeners each week. They’re a multi-platform media company that provides “advertising and digital marketing solutions.”
They’ve also invested in esports before, including Team Renegades and CheckpointXP.
“The acquisition of the Houston Outlaws significantly expands our growing esports platform. The Houston Outlaws represent a rare investment opportunity, as there are only 20 Overwatch League teams in the world,” Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley stated.
Activision Blizzard’s CEO Pete Vlastelica said they were excited to welcome the new owners to the Overwtach League. He called 2020 an “exciting year” for the entire league, most likely referring to the third season’s completely global schedule.
The Houston Outlaws came in 16th last season.
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