Immortals (esports)

Lore & Background

Immortals was formed on October 7, 2015, when a new esports organization acquired Team 8's spot in the North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS). The inaugural League of Legends roster, announced in December 2015, included Seong 'Huni' Hoon Heo, Kim 'Reignover' Yeu Jin, Eugene 'Pobelter' Park, Jason 'WildTurtle' Tran, and Adrian 'Adrian' Ma. The team achieved a second-place finish in the 2016 NA LCS Summer Playoffs and qualified for the 2016 World Championship, where they were eliminated in the group stage after tiebreaker matches. Following the rejection of their LCS franchise application, Immortals disbanded its League of Legends team on November 20, 2017.

In June 2019, Immortals rejoined the LCS after Immortals Gaming Club bought out OpTic Gaming and their LCS spot. The organization also fielded teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, acquiring Tempo Storm's Brazilian lineup in June 2016 and winning DreamHack Summer 2016. Immortals branched into Super Smash Bros. by signing Jason 'ANTi' Bates in September 2016 and DaJuan 'Shroomed' McDaniel later that year. In Dota 2, Immortals acquired the North American-based Korean squad Team Phoenix in September 2017. The organization also owned the Los Angeles Valiant Overwatch League team, announced in July 2017.

Reader's Guide

Immortals played a notable role in North American esports during the mid-2010s, particularly in League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Their League of Legends team was competitive in the NA LCS, reaching the 2017 World Championship despite being denied a franchise spot due to financial concerns. This rejection highlighted the growing pains of the LCS's transition to a franchise model. In CS:GO, Immortals' Brazilian lineup achieved a second-place finish at the PGL Kraków Major 2017, a major milestone for the region. The organization's ownership by Immortals Gaming Club, which also controlled MIBR and the Los Angeles Valiant, demonstrated a multi-team strategy common in esports. Immortals' eventual exit from the LCS at the end of 2024 marked the end of its presence in top-tier League of Legends. The organization's involvement in titles like Valorant, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six Siege reflected the diversification typical of esports organizations during this period. Their legacy includes contributing to the development of Brazilian CS:GO talent and participating in the early years of the Overwatch League.

Did You Know?

• Immortals was founded on October 7, 2015, after acquiring Team 8's LCS spot.
• Despite qualifying for the 2016 World Championship, Immortals' LCS franchise application was declined by Riot Games due to financial concerns.
• Immortals won DreamHack Summer 2016 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive after beating Ninjas in Pyjamas 2–0.
• The organization owned the Los Angeles Valiant Overwatch League team, acquired for an estimated $20 million.

From Team 8's Seat to the World Stage (2015–2017)

Immortals entered the professional esports scene on October 7, 2015, when the newly formed organization acquired Team 8's slot in the North American League of Legends Championship Series. Days later, veteran player Dodo8 stepped away from active competition to take on a management role within the club. The inaugural competitive roster, announced in December 2015, featured Huni, Reignover, Pobelter, WildTurtle, and Adrian, though only Pobelter remained through the 2017 season. The 2016 campaign was a tale of two halves: a modest seventh-place spring finish gave way to a dominant summer regular season where the squad placed second and pushed all the way to the summer finals before falling to Team SoloMid. That strong point total earned Immortals one of three North American berths at the 2017 World Championship. In the group stage, they were drawn alongside Fnatic, Longzhu Gaming, and GIGABYTE Marines, but a loss to Fnatic and a failed tiebreaker ended their international run. When Riot Games subsequently turned down their franchise application over financial concerns, the organization disbanded its League of Legends roster on November 20, 2017.

The Immortals Gaming Club Ecosystem

Behind the Immortals brand sat Immortals Gaming Club, a broader esports and gaming collective that also held ownership stakes in the Brazilian powerhouse MIBR and the Los Angeles Valiant Overwatch League franchise. The club's investor roster read like a who's-who of entertainment and sports business. Anschutz Entertainment Group, the entertainment conglomerate behind major venues and events, committed capital alongside Peter Levin, president of Lionsgate Interactive Venture and Games and co-founder of Nerdist. Allen Debevoise, who previously served as chairman at Machinima.com, brought digital media expertise to the group. Steve Kaplan, a co-owner of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, and Neil Leibman, a co-owner of MLB's Texas Rangers, underscored the organization's deep ties to professional sports. Serial entrepreneur Brian Lee and the entertainment-focused venture capital firm Machine Shop Ventures rounded out the backing. This constellation of investors gave Immortals a corporate foundation that extended well beyond a single gaming team, positioning the club as a multi-property entertainment company from its earliest days.

A Multi-Title Portfolio and the CS:GO Breakthrough

Immortals built one of the broadest competitive portfolios in North American esports, fielding rosters across Valorant, Apex Legends, Arena of Valor, Clash Royale, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, Super Smash Bros., and Vainglory. The Counter-Strike program, however, produced the organization's most memorable results. After acquiring Tempo Storm's fully Brazilian lineup in June 2016, the squad captured DreamHack Summer 2016 with a clean 2–0 victory over Ninjas in Pyjamas and added the Northern Arena 2016 title by defeating Cloud9 in the final. Their crowning achievement came at the PGL Kraków Major 2017, where they finished as runners-up, and they also placed second at DreamHack Montreal later that year. In January 2018, after months of negotiation with former MIBR CEO Paulo Velloso, the investors folded the CS:GO operation into the MIBR brand. In other titles, Immortals signed Super Smash Bros. legends ANTi and Shroomed in 2016, and their Clash Royale squad posted a 10–4 regular-season record before winning the North American playoffs and reaching the World Finals in Tokyo, where they finished fourth.

The Second Chapter: Return, Partnership, and Departure (2019–2024)

Immortals' second act in the League of Legends scene began in June 2019, when parent company Immortals Gaming Club purchased OpTic Gaming and its LCS franchise slot, instantly restoring the organization to the top tier of North American competition. The return was marked by a significant commercial partnership: in January 2022, Immortals inked a multi-year naming rights deal with the Progressive Corporation, rebranding the squad as Immortals Progressive. Yet the on-field results told a story of gradual decline. After finishing eighth in the 2020 spring split and tenth in the summer, the team hovered around seventh place through both 2021 splits and the 2021 Championship. The 2022 and 2023 seasons saw finishes in the ninth and tenth positions, and the 2024 campaign ended with eighth-place results in both splits. At the close of the 2024 season, just before the long-anticipated Americas league merger, Immortals exited the LCS for a second time, bringing an end to nearly a decade of continuous North American League of Legends competition under the banner.