The name Mayumi has become iconic in the world of League of Legends. At the age of 18, she has grown into one of the most popular content creators in her home country of Brazil, with her career beginning from her time as a professional support in the CBLoL.
Mayumi’s streams have earned her fans from across the world, and now, she’s expanding her global reach by joining North American esports organization TSM, announced today via Twitter. In an exclusive interview with Lara Lunardi for Dot Esports, she explained this was a “very important step” in her career, offering the opportunity to bring both the Brazilian and North American League scenes together without changing the personal, chatty style of content she’s known for.
The plan, according to Mayumi, is to travel and create content abroad further down the line. For now, she’ll continue to stream in Portuguese, but if the demand for English language content is high enough, she’ll consider weekly English broadcasts to cater to European and American audiences.
“I’m going to do my streams normally,” Mayumi said. “I’m going to focus on making videos and such, and then we will create more content later on.”
TSM’s reputation in esports was the main attraction for Mayumi to this deal after she was approached by TSM CEO Leena Xu on Twitter. “I really admire their work and I think that they will help me to grow and take care of me very well,” she said, also citing LCS support SwordArt as one of her key motivations to join the roster.
There are plans for a boot camp with the LCS roster once quarantine has ended, and a one-vs-one with SwordArt is on the cards—although Mayumi said she’ll have to pick the champion otherwise it would be “immoral.”
As SwordArt is an inspiration to her, Mayumi herself is an inspiration to numerous women in the gaming community. With regards to her role as an inspirational figure, she says that “[she’s] very, very grateful to everyone” who’s supported her so far on her journey.
“I never expected this repercussion and all this space I can conquer, and I’m happy to be opening this path to the girls and also the Brazilians,” Mayumi said.
The Brazilian community is one often underrepresented on the global stage in League, but Mayumi said it’s a community in which “everyone is very proactive, and everyone wants to improve the scene.” In recent years, the community has built numerous campaigns and organizations to increase the participation of minority groups in esports, most notably through Sakuras Esports, which was created to facilitate the participation of women in gaming. Mayumi took her first steps into the world of esports through Sakuras Esports and credited the organization for her ability to enter the scene.
Mayumi aims to bring this diversity and inclusivity to her own content and to “create a safe space” for those who feel ostracized in the gaming world. This global inclusivity is something TSM hopes to encourage, stating that working alongside the championship team will give her the “necessary resources and support to achieve her dreams.”
Fans will be able to find Mayumi on her Twitch, Instagram, and Twitter.
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