eStar acquires franchise spot in LPL

Chinese organisation eStar has purchased a franchise spot in Riot Games and Tencent‘s League of Legends Pro League (LPL).

TJ Sports, the organiser of LPL, opened one or two new spots for the 2020 season in June, with eStar being the first addition to be announced.

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Mou Liu, Investor in eStar commented on the venture: “As an esports practitioner, it is my dream to own one esports club to compete in the LPL. After establishing YM Esports Club in 2015, four years have passed and the club has become one of the famous academy teams in China. However, it is still a shame that we didn’t obtain the LPL spot.

“I prepared a lot for this bid and finally partnered with Wuhan Tourism Development & Investment Group to invest eStar Esports Club. It is really tough to obtain this year’s LPL franchise. We will work hard to lead this newbie and try our best to face the challenge in the future.”

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Founded in 2015, eStar is a prominent esports organisation in China. The total prize money earned by the organisation in Honor of Kings totals $2.4 million (£1.8 million). In 2020, eStar will open its home venue in Wuhan, with the facility also acting as the first home venue in the Chinese mobile esports scene.

eStar is the 17th franchise in the league, joining the likes of EDward Gaming, FunPlus Phoenix, Invictus Gaming, LGD Gaming, Royal Never Give Up, and Vici Gaming.

Esports Insider says: The demographic of mobile esports is quite different from the demographic of PC esports in China so it’ll be interesting to see whether eStar can replicate its success in LoL.

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