Barcelona confirms League of Legends entry, OpTic and Envy merges | ESI Digest #68

Each week, ESI Digest breaks down the weekly happenings in the esports industry, making sense of things so you don’t have to. As well as being housed on YouTube, ESI Digest is available on all major podcast platforms and is also available in written form below.

On this week’s ESI Digest, in partnership with Mbuzz Esports and BK ROG, we cover; Barcelona entering into League of Legends, OpTic merging with Envy, OverActive Media entering the OTCQB Venture Market, Team Liquid’s Coinbase partnership, plus Jackson Dahl departing 100 Thieves.

FC Barcelona enters League of Legends

FC Barcelona, one of the most well-known brands in football, has announced its entry into League of Legends today.

The club will participate in the Superliga, the highest-tier League of Legends league in Spain, organised by the Professional Video Games League. Barcelona will join the Superliga from the 2022 season. FC Barcelona will fill in the empty slot in the Superliga that was left over after S2V departed the league earlier this year.

OpTic Gaming and Envy Gaming announce merger

Image credit: OpTic Gaming, Envy gaming

North American esports organisations OpTic Gaming and Envy Gaming have announced a merger that will see both entities operate under a joint brand in the future.

As a result, the Texas-based Call of Duty League franchise Dallas Empire will be rebranded to OpTic Texas for the 2022 Call of Duty League season. As a part of the deal, Hector Rodriguez will become a shareholder in the new business endeavour and will continue to operate OpTic Gaming.

OverActive Media begins trading on the OTCQB Venture Market

OverActive Media revenue
Image credit: OverActive Media Group

Esports and entertainment company OverActive Media started trading on the OTCQB Venture Market today, the company has announced.

The new market will assure more liquidity and brand visibility for OverActive Media by making the company’s stock available for buyers from the United States. OverActive Media is one of the earliest esports-focused companies to be publicly traded.

Team Liquid and Coinbase strike four year partnership

Image credit: Team Liquid, Coinbase

North American esports organisation Team Liquid has announced a four-year partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase.

Over the next four years, the two companies will collaborate on multiple projects and integrations, as well as on developing technology that elevates the overall fan experience, the firms announced.

Jackson Dahl departs 100 Thieves

Image credit: 100 Thieves

Jackson Dahl, who was part of the founding team for North American esports organisation 100 Thieves, has departed the company.

Dahl announced the news of his departure on social media earlier this week. He did not disclose his reasons for leaving or his future plans, but described the move as an ‘incredibly hard decision’.

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ESI Digest, in partnership with Mbuzz Esports and BK ROG, is part of the ESI Podcast Network, a collection of podcasts encompassing the esports industry. For deep dives into the major areas of esports with subject matter experts, check out ESI Focus. For conversations with key personnel and major stakeholders in esports, ESI Insight is the series for you.