Immortals

Foundation and League of Legends Entry

Immortals was founded on October 7, 2015, entering the esports scene by acquiring Team 8's spot in the North American League of Legends Championship Series. The organization quickly assembled a high-profile inaugural roster for the 2016 season, featuring players like Huni, Reignover, Pobelter, WildTurtle, and Adrian. This roster found immediate success in the regular season, finishing first in the 2016 Spring split round robin, but often fell short in playoffs, securing third place in both the Spring and Summer postseason tournaments that year.

The team underwent significant changes for the 2017 season, with Pobelter being the only player remaining from the original lineup. New additions included Dardoch, Flame, Cody Sun, and Olleh. After a disappointing seventh-place finish in the spring, the rebuilt squad surged in the summer, finishing second in the regular season and advancing to the summer finals, where they lost to Team SoloMid. Their performance earned them a spot at the 2017 World Championship based on championship points.

At Worlds, Immortals was placed in Group B with Fnatic, Longzhu Gaming, and GIGABYTE Marines. The team was ultimately knocked out of the tournament after losing a critical tiebreaker match to Fnatic. Later in 2017, when the LCS moved to a franchise model, Riot Games declined Immortals' application due to financial concerns, leading to the disbanding of the League of Legends squad on November 20, 2017.

Return and Final Exit from the LCS

The organization's absence from the top tier of North American League of Legends was relatively brief. In June 2019, Immortals rejoined the LCS after its parent company, Immortals Gaming Club, purchased OpTic Gaming and its LCS spot. This marked a second chapter for the brand in the league.

This second stint, however, was characterized by struggles on the competitive stage. The team's results were consistently in the lower half of the standings, with finishes like tenth place in the 2022 LCS Spring split and ninth place in the 2023 LCS Summer split. A notable business development occurred in January 2022 when Immortals announced a multi-year naming rights partnership with the Progressive Corporation, rebranding its team to Immortals Progressive. The organization's time in the LCS concluded for a second time at the end of the 2024 season, prior to the league's merger into the Americas region.

Counter-Strike and the Path to MIBR

Beyond League of Legends, Immortals developed a strong presence in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, particularly with a Brazilian roster. The organization acquired the fully Brazilian lineup of Tempo Storm on June 1, 2016. This squad achieved several tournament victories in 2016, including DreamHack Summer and Northern Arena 2016.

The peak of Immortals' CS:GO campaign came in 2017 when the team finished as the runner-up at the PGL Kraków Major, a significant achievement in the game's premier tournament circuit. They also placed second at DreamHack Montreal that same year. In a major strategic shift, the team's investors acquired the MIBR branding in January 2018. Following this acquisition, the CS:GO operations were transferred to the MIBR brand, which is also owned by Immortals Gaming Club, effectively ending the Immortals name in top-tier CS:GO.

Expansion into Other Esports Titles

Immortals maintained a diverse portfolio across the esports scene. In Overwatch, the organization's CEO, Noah Whinston, secured a Los Angeles franchise spot in the new Overwatch League for an estimated 20 million dollars in July 2017. Whinston cited localization and revenue sharing as key reasons for the investment. All Overwatch operations were later transferred to a new brand, the Los Angeles Valiant, which was revealed in October 2017.

The organization also fielded teams in numerous other games. They signed players in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Melee in 2016. A Dota 2 squad was formed in September 2017 by acquiring the Korean-American team Phoenix. In Clash Royale, their team competed in the Clash Royale League North America in 2018, winning the regional playoffs to qualify for the World Finals, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals. A Brazilian Rainbow Six Siege team was announced in June 2018 but was transferred to the MIBR brand within a few months.

Valorant and the FPS Consolidation

Immortals entered the competitive Valorant scene in May 2020, announcing a new team for the game. Initially, the squad competed as a non-partnered team in the first season of the Valorant Champions Tour Challengers tier. By 2022, the organization had pivoted its focus within Valorant to the VCT Game Changers circuit, which is dedicated to promoting women and other marginalized genders in the esport.

This venture into Valorant followed a broader organizational strategy regarding first-person shooter titles. Eventually, Immortals Gaming Club decided to consolidate all its FPS operations, including Valorant, under the MIBR brand. This move meant that competitive activities in these games continued, but not under the Immortals name.

Ownership and Investors

Immortals was owned and operated by the Immortals Gaming Club, a larger esports and gaming holding company. This parent entity also owned other notable brands like MIBR and the Los Angeles Valiant Overwatch League team. The ownership group attracted investment from a wide array of figures across sports, media, and venture capital.

Key investors included the Anschutz Entertainment Group, a major sports and entertainment presenter. Other investors were Peter Levin, president of Lionsgate Interactive, Allen Debevoise, former chairman of Machinima.com, and Steve Kaplan, a co-owner of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. The group also included Neil Leibman, a co-owner of MLB's Texas Rangers, and Brian Lee, alongside the venture capital firm Machine Shop Ventures. This diverse backing provided the organization with significant financial and strategic resources during its operations.