Team Reciprocity and LGD Gaming partner for CrossFire franchise

North American organisation Team Reciprocity has partnered with Chinese organisation LGD Gaming to secure one of 10 spots in a CrossFire franchised league.

Known as LGD.REC, the franchise will be competing in the CrossFire Pro League (CFPL) on PC and the CrossFire Mobile League (CFML) on mobile. The leagues will commence in October 2019.

Team Reciprocity will pay $1.5 million (£1,220,317.50) for the franchise slot, as per a tweet that was published shortly after the initial announcement.

Chad Larsson, Owner and CEO of Team Reciprocity had this to say regarding the partnership: “We’re excited to be partnering with LGD Gaming and to be a CrossFire franchise owner on the ground floor of what we believe will be a preeminent esports league in China. I have been a fan of Jie Pan and the work she has done since she founded LGD. Our partnership represents a big step for Reciprocity as this franchise will be among the first of many for us globally.”

The partnership is the first CrossFire franchise deal between two international partners in the Chinese esports market. On September 29th, Tencent Esports hosted a ceremony in Shenzen, China to reveal the 10 teams.

Jie Pan, Founder and CEO of LGD Gaming added: “We are extremely happy to be a pioneer in the CrossFire franchise and to partner with a North American esports organization. Team Reciprocity and LGD share the same ambition and passion in esports, and we are determined to make this commitment a great success.”

This is not the first time LGD has partnered with an organisation outside of China. In April 2018, the organisation partnered with french football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to compete in Dota 2.

Esports Insider says: The partnership with LGD will likely do wonders for Team Reciprocity in terms of sponsorship opportunities and audience growth. With experience from another existing partnership, LGD will certainly help the organisation with its expansion into Asia.

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