Oxygen Esports, a new esports organisation out of New England, has acquired the rosters of Team Reciprocity and will compete in five esports.
The company is the result of a merger between VR company Helix eSports and esports analytics company Team Genji.
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The organisation will compete in Rainbow Six Siege, Hearthstone, Rocket League, Fortnite, and Magic the Gathering: Arena. Launched at the same time as the new Rainbow Six North American League, Oxygen Esports will be one of the eight members of the new top-flight US division in the league.
By acquiring Team Reciprocity’s rosters, Oxygen Esports was also able to secure a slot in the Rocket League Championship Series. Both the Rocket League and Rainbow Six rosters of Team Reciprocity were quite successful, giving Oxygen Esports a chance to compete immediately in strong titles.
Murphy Vandervelde, Co-founder of Helix eSports, spoke on the venture in a release: “We are beyond excited to breathe new life into New England’s esports scene and build on the region’s winning heritage with our championship teams. OXG will create the path-to-pro for all of New England esports. We cannot wait to leverage our chain of Helix eSports centers, including our soon-to-be-opened Patriot Place location, to create a hub for content, social and competitive environments across New England’s amateur esports scene.”
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The company is also focusing on the trend of geolocalisation. While the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League pushed towards this model, other organisations like the Pittsburgh Knights have found success tying themselves to a city. For Oxygen Esports, it wants to claim New England.
Adam Morrison, Co-founder & General Manager of Oxygen Esports, added: “Our fans have a lot to look forward to with the rosters we are rolling out on the field, future talent that we will be signing, as well as the engaging and inclusive community we plan to build across the amateur scene in New England.”
Esports Insider says: This is one of the more bizarre launches of an esports organisation. Oxygen Esports had a chance to dominate headlines today with strong rosters in major esports. But with broken links to social channels, a parody account taking shots, and a website that still says “Hold Your Breath,” this launch is turning into a guide of how not to launch a new esports organisation.