Shopify announces new esports organization in StarCraft 2

Olivia Richman Published 24/02/2021

The esports industry is continuing to grow, and outsiders want in. 

Shopify might be best known for being an e-commerce company. But now it has started its own esports organization called Shopify Rebellion. The brand new esport organization revealed itself on Twitter along with its first team, which will compete in StarCraft 2.

This impressive team includes former champion Byun Hyun-woo Julian “Lambo” Brosig and popular Canadian player Sasha “Scarlett” Hostyn, the first woman to ever win a major international event in the game. It’s an impressive squad that’s definitely given Shopify Rebellion some credibility in the esports world. 

The announcement also noted that the trio are going to have a chance to prove themselves at IEM Katowice. This is part of the ESL StarCraft 2 Pro Tour, an online event that began February 20 and will conclude on the February 28. This major event has a $250,000 prize pool on the line. It’s time to see if Shopify Rebellion has what it takes to not only infiltrate the esports world, but dominate it. 

Shopify’s CEO Tobi Lutke is no stranger to esports. He’s been a long-time fan of StarCraft 2. He’s even streamed the game on Twitch. Lutke has also donated money to the prize pool at various Starcraft events. This includes doubling the prize pool of the HomeStory Cup XX to $50,000. 

“I just realized that my favorite StarCraft tournament is this weekend. I love StarCraft and esports, so I’ll double the prize pool to 50K,” Lutke announced on Twitter, asking event organizers to contact him. 

Last September, StarCraft veteran Dario “TLO” Wunsch left Team Liquid to become Shopify’s esports program manager. This was a curious move at the time, but now it seems to all be coming together. And it’s just in time for a potential StarCraft 2 resurgence after Activision Blizzard uniting with ESL and DreamHack to bring back the game’s competitive side. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile

Read Also

GTA

Will will GTA VI be delayed (again)? The prediction markets don’t think so Michael Hassall Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA6) is on track to be one of the important gaming titles not just of 2026, but of this generation. With the game expected to set a new standard in the gaming industry, as well as a new pricing standard, anticipation for what many expect to be a game of the year, is high. The open-world crime action game is slated for release later this year, ...

Twitch

PUBG announces $100,000 Streamer Challenge for PAYDAY mode Khizar Mundia PUBG is hosting a limited-time challenge where streamers can compete in PAYDAY mode for a chance to win a share of the $100,000 prize money. PUBG’s latest gameplay mode is introducing a new direction for the game, as the battle royale will now feature a heist mode. This highlights Krafton's desire to give its players more in terms of varied content. PUBG's collaboration will also feature a tournament where streamers ...

GTA

Even the Bank of America has an opinion on GTA 6’s price Michael Hassall GTA VI might be the most anticipated video game of all time, and dozens of questions are currently swirling about the upcoming release, from gameplay elements like what the story is going to be, to more pressing items like just how much is this game going to cost us? Well, in a recently published Forbes report, Bank of America industry analyst Omar Dessouky stated that the financial institution believed the ...

Slots

Roobet enters the prediction market space with new integrated feature Fariha Bhatti Roobet has become the first major crypto casino to integrate a prediction market directly into its platform. Here’s everything you need to know about how the potentially game-changing Roobet prediction market works. Prediction markets have become a popular alternative for users who find traditional trading too complex. In 2026, major platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi are the two most popular players, though the prediction market has still remained somewhat new ...

News

Shuffle opens FIFA World Cup 2026 hub with exciting promos Fariha Bhatti With a month to go before the 2026 World Cup kicks off, Shuffle is getting ahead of the game with the launch of its very own FIFA World Cup Hub. Shuffle has quickly become the go-to for gamblers looking to play their favorite slots or place bets on the running sports and esports event. The crypto-casino website offers markets for almost every sporting event, along with thousands of online slots ...

Kick

What is Clavicular’s Looksmaxxing and why is everyone talking about it? Fariha Bhatti You’d think Braden "Clavicular" Peters coined the term Looksmaxxing, but long before it went viral, people were already chasing the same idea. Here’s a look at what it means to Looksmaxx. The streaming world has produced its share of viral trends, but Looksmaxxing might be the most significant one to cross over into the mainstream. The term traces its roots back to around 2010, originating in niche online communities. It ...

Slots

This is how Provably Fair casino games work Ian John Crypto casino gaming has evolved what an online casino can offer to its customers and one of the key ways that this has manifested itself is in greater transparency when it comes to fairness and game mechanics. These games are called Provably Fair games and they sit directly at the heart of what this new generation of games has to offer. In the past, players have had to trust whether ...