The former Cloud9 Challenger squad, which earned a spot in the 2017 League Championship Series by beating NRG Esports 3-0 in the Summer Promotion tournament, has a new name.
Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wesley Edens and Fortress Investment Group bought out the team in early December, and will launch a new esports brand FlyQuest to spearhead the group’s competitive gaming efforts, according to an ESPN report.
The group is expected to expand into other esports titles, but the League team will be the only roster at launch, according to the report.
As for League, the group has apparently agreed to terms with C9 Challenger’s top laner An “Balls” Van Le, mid laner Hai “Hai” Du Lam, AD carry Johnny “Altec” Ru, and support Daerek “LemonNation” Hart. The group previously paid $700,000 out of a total $2.5 million buyout for the contracts of said players, while Cloud9 retained its Challenger team jungler Juan “Contractz” Garcia for its own starting LCS lineup.
Fortress Investment Group managing director Sarah Watterson will join Wesley Eden’s 24-year-old son Ryan Edens to help manage the new team.
FlyQuest enters a crowded 2017 LCS space that includes long-standing organizations like Team SoloMid and wealthy newcomers like the Philadelphia 76ers’ Team Dignitas.
It’s unclear how FlyQuest will perform without Contractz, but veterans like Hai, Balls, and LemonNation should ease the transition for the new ownership group when the LCS returns on Jan. 20.
