Steve Aoki, the American house DJ and music producer has had his esports organisation, Rogue, acquired by ReKTGlobal.
The deal, for an undisclosed amount will see ReKTGlobal acquire the Las Vegas-based organisation. The ReKTGlobal acquisition will allow Rogue to attract new investors, sponsors and other global strategic partners.
The acquisition will not see any staff casualties, as Rogue’s current employees will be retained as ReKT looks to focus on the expansion of the esports organisation’s scope. ReKTGlobal has outlined the aim to “upgrade current teams with top players, enter new games and pursue Overwatch and League of Legends franchises in the future”. In addition, the organisation will expand to have offices in both Las Vegas and New York City.
The team currently competes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, H1Z1, Vainglory and Rocket League but first rose to fame with a very talented Overwatch squad. The team, however, did not make it onto Blizzard’s list for the inaugural 12 teams for the Overwatch League and as a result the squad has been dropped.
“ReKTGlobal will take Rogue to the next level,” said Rogue co-owner, Steve Aoki. “We share the same passion and vision, and we’re going to continue to build Rogue as an esports powerhouse through new sponsors, partners and by most importantly, winning.”
“The combination of Rogue and ReKTGlobal is unstoppable. We have all the right elements to dominate the industry: a champion esports team, a passionate fan base, exciting and genuine content, events and activations, deep roots in both esports and traditional sports, connections to the right sponsors and partners, and the best management in the industry,” commented ReKTGlobal Founder Amish Shah.
“Rogue is still a young company, and with all the growth we’ve experienced over the past year and a half, a strategic owner from the sports world makes sense. ReKTGlobal’s expertise will bring in the right opportunities for Rogue moving forward and help us to continue to grow and dominate in esports,” said Rogue CEO and Co-founder Derek Nelson.
“This is a very exciting moment in the history of Rogue,” said Rogue President and Co-founder Frank Villarreal. Kevin Knocke, ReKTGlobal Vice President of Esports shared the sentiment, stating: “Frank Villarreal is known as the ‘moneyball’ guru of esports. He has a special power and the right formula for creating and sustaining championship teams. Together with ReKTGlobal, there will be no stopping Rogue.”
ReKTGlobal CEO and Co-founder Dave Bialek concluded: “With such cohesive teams that have competed at the highest level and won for so long in multiple games, Rogue is the ‘plug-and-play’ opportunity for brands, partners and others looking to enter or broaden their support and involvement in esports. ReKTGlobal and Rogue offer a dynamic 360-degree solution.”
Esports Insider says: Big news for Steve Aoki, ReKTGlobal and the Rogue crew. We wish both parties the best of luck and look forward to the exciting partnerships that have already been teased.
