Brazilian esports organisation Fluxo has announced its entrance into the CS:GO scene alongside a new sponsor dedicated specifically to this project. The brand in question is gambling website EstrelaBet.
The announcement of Fluxo EstrelaBet was made through a press conference attended by Esports Insider at the WTC Sheraton hotel, in São Paulo.
During the press conference, Renan Philip, the Co-founder of Fluxo’s managing company 3C Gaming, revealed that Fluxo EstrelaBet spent around R$2.5m (~£400,000) in hiring the roster. According to a report by HLTV-powered Brazilian website Dust2, around R$1.8m (~£290,000) were dedicated to buying Lucas ‘Lucaozy’ Neves from YNG Sharks.
These figures might have not been a blow to Fluxo’s economy as the organisation closed a sponsorship and naming rights deal with gambling website EstrelaBet specifically for the CS:GO project. Philip, though, highlighted to Esports Insider that the R$2.5m is an initial investment on players only and does not count its structure.
The team’s structure for training will be provided through a partnership with the WTC Sheraton Hotel, which holds internal facilities for high-performance gaming provided by the production company R1. Fluxo EstrelaBet’s short-term objective is to secure a place at IEM Rio Major 2022.
According to Philip, Fluxo and EstrelaBet have been in touch for at least eight months. However due to restrictions for gambling websites in esports, the companies were waiting for the right opportunity/project to establish a partnership. The current contract is valid for one year.
Another thing that drew attention at the press conference was that EstrelaBet was featured alone in Fluxo’s jersey. Philip explained why: “We have specific partners for each category. Counter-Strike is a new category which we started with EstelaBet as a partner. Now other Fluxo’s partners will be able to also enter the project.”
Founded in 2021 by the Brazilian esports superstars Bruno ‘Nobru’ Goes and Lucio ‘Cerol’ Lima, Fluxo mainly rose to prominence within the Free Fire scene. The organisation’s roster is sponsored by companies like bank Next, retail giant Casas Bahia and TNT energy drink. The CS:GO team is the organisation’s first step outside the Garena’s battle royale title.
