After countless rumors, TSM FTX has finally joined the world of Dota 2 esports with the signing of Undying.
The League of Legends-oriented sponsor has officially picked up Team Undying to compete in the North American Dota Pro Circuit. The announcement came after months of rumors and hints about the organization entering Valve’s MOBA. This is the first time that TSM will become involved in professional Dota 2.
The acquisition could be related to Riot Games’ refusal to allow TSM FTX branding in its competitions. Riot is also currently investigating allegations of bullying and mistreating employees by organization founder Andy “Reginald” Dinh.
The announcement comes after months of rumors regarding a potential Undying-TSM partnership. The connection was heavily anticipated before The International 10, but Undying ultimately chose to reject 15 sponsorship opportunities to stay independent. TSM FTX was possibly one of those offers.
TSM also flirted with Valve’s MOBA in an unexpected charity Dota 2 tournament that also implied signing the Undying roster. All those red herrings turned out to be true after all.
The starting roster for TSM FTX Dota 2 is the same as the Undying lineup that competed at The International 10:
The team is currently competing in the North American division of the Dota Pro Circuit. Under the Undying banner, the squad placed second in the winter tour with a 5-2 match record. TSM FTX even defeated Evil Geniuses 2-0 in a tiebreaker to secure second place. The newly sponsored roster will debut at the North American Winter Tour Regional Finals starting February 18.
Undying is now a top-tier team in North American Dota 2, but this signing could be related to the sponsor’s 2021 FTX sponsorship.
The landmark deal was valued at over $200 million, but it came with an unfortunate downside. Riot Games has to this point refused to allow TSM to use the FTX branding at official League of Legends and Valorant events. FTX later forged a separate official partnership with the LCS, Riot’s official North American league.
There’s no precedent for similar problems in Dota 2. The new TSM Dota 2 team will most likely debut with the FTX branding. This would not be the first time a cryptocurrency-related company has made an appearance in the esport. Evil Geniuses maintains a partnership with trading platform Coinbase and T1 players wear Swappable logos at LAN events. This is TSM‘s opportunity to put their title sponsor front and center.
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