Per reports from Jacob Wolf, the esports juggernaut Evil Geniuses has entered the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), purchasing the spot of Echo Fox. Echo Fox was forced to sell the League of Legends spot by Riot Games following reports of racist comments from an Echo Fox investor. This comes after the Kroenke Group, owners of Sentinels and the Los Angeles Gladiators, were forced to pull out of the spot.
The sale
After Riot Games forced the sale of Echo Fox’s LCS slot, the first purchase did not work out. The Kroenke Group, who owns massive sports franchises like the Los Angeles Rams and Arsenal, was the first connected buyer. Kroenke previously partnered with Sentinels, formerly Phoenix1, to operate the Los Angeles Gladiators. However, the Sentinels organization sued the Kroenke Group for not coordinating with them per agreement. This roadblocked the sale, forcing Kroenke to pull out and Riot to take control of the sale.
The bid by Evil Geniuses is reportedly similar to the one by Kroenke, $30.25 million. They reportedly outbid several major players, including Allen Shapiro and Washington Esports Ventures. This news comes mere hours after EG purchased the entire CSGO roster of NRG.
The impact
This is massive for an organization slowly fading into esports history. As one of the most successful franchises in the business, Evil Geniuses brings experience and capital to the LCS. The organization was purchased by Peak6 Investments in May, and this purchase seems to reflect the drive of new ownership. Between the LCS spot and the CSGO roster, EG is officially back.
For the LCS, this is likely the best organization possible to buy the slot. Potential buyers like FaZe Clan, Kroenke, or Complexity could have been controversial due to infamous ownership. On the other hand, Evil Geniuses is an organization teeming with historical success and a positive reputation. The organization hasn’t been in League of Legends since September of 2014.
