Immortals reportedly planning to bid for Infinite Esports & Entertainment
Immortals Gaming Club is gearing up to bid for Infinite Esports & Entertainment – the parent company of OpTic Gaming and Houston Outlaws – according to a report from ESPN.
The company went up for majority sale in January of this year, looking for at least $150 million (£117 million) at the time.
The report states that should Immortals Gaming Club – which currently owns Immortals, Los Angeles Valiant, and MIBR – be accepted, then it wouldn’t be allowed to acquire the Houston Outlaws franchise due to league-wide ownership rules.
Not only is OpTic Gaming a popular name in games such as Call of Duty, Gears of War, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but it’s one of 10 franchise partners in Riot Games’s League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). Should Immortals close this deal, it would re-enter the North American competition after being declined as a partner when the LCS was franchised in 2017.
Earlier this week, Immortals LLC announced that it had closed a Series B funding round worth $30 million (£22.9 million) and had rebranded to Immortals Gaming Club. The capital is said to be going towards the fulfillment of payments toward the Overwatch League and to expand the coverage of its new purchase, Gamers Club.
The report also mentions that Immortals Gaming Club is “one of a few bidders” that is eyeing up part of Infinite Esports & Entertainment, though other candidates were not listed. The sale is being facilitated through investment bank J.P. Morgan Chase.
Esports Insider says: OpTic Gaming, despite its poor performance in LCS, is one of 10 partners in the now-franchised league. Due to franchising, the league is entirely closed off – meaning this appears to be the only method in which Immortals can find its way back into the competition. It’ll be interesting to see how this story develops over the coming weeks and we will continue to keep a close eye on it.
