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

Twitch

Kai Cenat Reveals Japan IRL Tour and Says He Wants To Go to Space Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat has recently expanded his content to include IRL tours, and Japan is next on the list of places he will be heading it seems. The American kicked off his Exploring the Unexplored IRL series with Iceland, reportedly becoming the first streamer to broadcast from inside a volcano. This was a massive accomplishment, but just a few days later Cenat became embroiled in controversy with Reginald “Reggie” Travers. ...

Esports Betting

NFL petitions U.S. Supreme Court for clarity on prediction markets Michael Hassall The heat is officially on for prediction market operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket as the NFL, one of the United States’ biggest sports leagues, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the classification of prediction markets. In a brief filed late on Thursday (Oct. 8), the National Football League (NFL) backed the state of New Jersey’s request for the U.S.’s highest legal entity to review whether ...

GTA

Lacy Reveals GTA 6 Marathon Plans and Monthly Income Breakdown Khizar Mundia Nick “Lacy” Fosco recently made headlines after announcing he would disable Twitch ads on his streams. Now, the streamer has revealed plans for an upcoming GTA 6 marathon, alongside a breakdown of his monthly earnings and expenses.. Lacy is in the news frequently, whether it's because of his relationship, drama with other streamers, or even leaving CORE. The creator recently also limited his Twitch ads significantly after starting, saying that ...

News

Crypto Casino Stake To Launch In Alberta, Canada Khizar Mundia Stake co-founder Eddie Craven made an X post announcing that the casino has secured licensing approval in Alberta, Canada, and will be launching its services in the new location imminently. Crypto casino Stake is one of the most popular gambling sites, with livestreaming platform Kick having been a major marketing force for it over the years. Both platforms are owned by co-founders Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani. While Kick has ...

Dota 2

Who will prevail?: BLAST SLAM VIII Playoffs preview, predictions, and more Michael Hassall After a week of intense Group Stage, Last Chance and Seeding stage matches, and a few days of rest, BLAST SLAM VIII returns tomorrow (Oct. 8) with the Playoffs. If we’re honest, there haven’t been too many surprises. We’d liked to have seen a BetBoom or Team Liquid make the cut, but ultimately these aren’t the teams of earlier in the year, and with new rosters comes new uncertainty. That's ...

Kick

Kick Surpasses 1M Average Live Viewers, Claims 35% Market Share Khizar Mundia Kick co-founder Bijan Tehrani has celebrated Kick crossing another major milestone, joking on X that “more people watch Kick than flying on a plane every night.” The platform has increased its market share by 10 percentage points in 2026 while surpassing 1 million average live viewers. It’s not a secret that Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani initially launched Kick in 2022 in large part as a direct competitor to Twitch. ...

Dota 2

Dota 2’s new Tidehunter Arcana is mind-blowing, but prepare to spend $200+ to get it Michael Hassall Night owls in North America and early risers in Europe woke up to a brand new Dota 2 Arcana, the first new release of Dota’s rarest and most-coveted cosmetics since 2024. The recipient? Tidehunter, whose Maw of the Megladon Arcana transforms the already selachian sea-dweller into a full-blown shark. But while Arcana’s have traditionally been part of big events in Dota 2, either the now-discontinued Battle Passes, or most recently, ...