OverActive Media, the Canada-based corporation that owns the Toronto-based franchises in the Overwatch League and CDL as well as MAD Lions, is expanding their esports empire with acquisitions of two major organizations in KOI and Movistar Riders.
The planned acquisition will see OAM acquire “all KOI esports assets and brands,” which means the company will now own and operate the KOI slot in the VCT EMEA professional VALORANT league. The team in VCT EMEA will take on the name Movistar KOI, which alludes to the FPS history of both brands. The Game Changers roster will take on the name MAD Lions KOI, as MAD Lions competed in the Spanish GC scene in 2023.
The LoL divisions will also be rebranded. The MAD Lions team in LEC as well as the female team will be rebranded to MAD Lions KOI, while the Spanish Superliga team will play under the name Movistar KOI. KOI had been competing in the LEC during 2023 after partnering with Infinite Reality, but that partnership ended back in November, with the slot and some of the starting players reverting back to the Rogue banner.
The mix of different naming conventions is only temporary: OverActive Media says “a global rebranding effort, to include input from fans and influencers, will be undertaken in 2024 to unite all teams globally under a single brand by the end of the year.”
With the acquisition, OverActive Media now stakes a claim in virtually every major top tier league across esports: the LEC in LoL, VCT for VALORANT, and the Call of Duty League via the Toronto Ultra. The company appears to still be interested in competing in Overwatch esports despite the imminent demise of the OWL, via the ex-franchised Toronto Defiant.
OAM is anticipating an increase in “$10 to $12 million in revenues in 2024” as a result of the acquisitions, and believes it will “reach to over 100 million people across the Company’s brand portfolio.” The acquisition still requires approval by the company board.
