Overwatch hasn’t even been released yet, but Team Liquid are getting into the competitive scene early, announcing today that it has signed a team—including former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player for iBUYPOWER, Kevin “AZK” Lariviere.
Liquid has been looking to pick up an Overwatch team for months, its founder Victor “Nazgul” Goossens stated. Eventually building the team around captain Tim “Dummy” Olson, and bringing on some former Quake, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike professionals to round out the squad.
The six-man team includes AZK, Dummy, Dahang, Frisco, Mesr, and Vee.
“As with any team game, so much about advancing yourself into a winning position is about having the right attitude,” Nazgul said in the statement. “This roster has an abundance of that, and they combine it with an incredible amount of talent.”
Fans may be surprised at the signing of AZK. He is a controversial addition to the team, in January last year Counter-Strike developer Valve permanently banned him and a few of his iBUYPOWER teammates from competing in future Valve-sponsored events. The ban came after allegations that they had thrown a match, after placing bets against their own team in return for high value in-game items.
Team Liquid addressed these concerns in the statement, with Nazgul saying: “What he did in CS:GO is one of the worst offenses a professional gamer can ever commit. The punishment for this needs to be taken very seriously… After speaking at length about the situation with AZK as well as dummy we are ready to move forward with this team. Eighteen months later and in a different game, we feel confident it is time for a second chance and new opportunity, and we are excited to see what AZK does with it.”
The team is competing in the ONOG Overwatch Invitational this weekend. Blizzard’s first-person shooter title will be released on May 24 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
