Invictus Gaming

Founding and Early Structure

Invictus Gaming was established in 2011 by Wang Sicong, the son of Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin. The organization was created through the acquisition of the existing team Catastrophic Cruel Memory for approximately six million US dollars. Wang Sicong's stated goal was to improve and promote the professional esports scene in China. The team's name is inspired by the poem 'Invictus' by the English poet William Ernest Henley.

From its inception, IG was structured as a multi-game organization. It initially fielded squads for Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which would soon transition to Dota 2, and for League of Legends. The organization quickly made a significant impact by poaching top players from other Chinese teams to form two elite DotA squads, known as iG.Y and iG.Z. These two teams were considered among the strongest in China at the time.

Dominance in Dota 2

Invictus Gaming's Dota 2 team achieved one of the game's greatest accomplishments in 2012. After merging its two DotA rosters into a single super-team featuring players like Zhou, YYF, Ferrari 430, Chuan, and Faith, the squad began its transition to Dota 2. That year, they became the champions of The International 2012, defeating Natus Vincere in the grand finals held in Seattle to claim the one million dollar prize.

The 2012 season was a near-perfect year for IG's Dota 2 division. Beyond The International, they also won the World Cyber Games 2012 title, the ACE Dota Pro-league, and both seasons of the G-League. The team was universally recognized as the best in the world, sweeping player and team of the year awards from GosuAwards and Liquid's Dota 2 Awards. Their core roster remained a force in subsequent years, winning tournaments like ESL One Frankfurt in 2014 and the DAC Asia Invitational in, , though the lineup saw several changes with players like Hao, Banana, and BurNIng joining at different times.

The League of Legends Journey to a World Title

Invictus Gaming's League of Legends team was formed from the original Catastrophic Cruel Memory lineup in 2011. The team experienced early success, winning the Season 2 China Regional Finals in 2012 to qualify for the World Championship, though they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Throughout the early 2010s, IG was a consistent contender in China's LPL, often finishing in the top three but unable to secure a domestic split title or return to the world stage.

A significant turning point came in late 2014 with the high-profile signings of Korean stars KaKAO and RooKie. This bolstered the team's strength, but the ultimate breakthrough arrived in 2018. After finishing as runners-up in the LPL Summer Split, IG qualified for the 2018 World Championship as China's top seed. In the finals in Seoul, they decisively defeated Europe's Fnatic 3-0 to claim the Summoner's Cup, bringing the world title to the LPL for the first time. This victory secured IG's place in League of Legends history.

Post-2018 League of Legends Success

Following their world championship, Invictus Gaming remained a top team in the LPL. In 2019, they won their first domestic LPL title by taking the Spring Split, which qualified them for the Mid-Season Invitational. At that event, they set a record for the fastest international victory by defeating SKT T1 in under 16 minutes, though they were later upset in the semifinals. Later that year, they qualified for the World Championship again and reached the semifinals before losing to the eventual champions, FunPlus Phoenix.

In 2020, IG finished first in the LPL Spring regular season but was knocked out early in the playoffs. They again reached the regional qualifier for Worlds that summer but lost in the finals, missing the global tournament. The team's core, built around star mid-laner RooKie, continued to be a formidable presence in the league for years after their 2018 triumph.

Success in Other Titles

Beyond Dota 2 and League of Legends, Invictus Gaming has also found competitive success in other esports. The organization's Crossfire squad won the World Cyber Games championship in 2012, claiming a $25,000 prize in a field of 13 teams. This victory added another world title to IG's growing trophy case in the same year their Dota 2 team dominated.

In StarCraft II, IG players have also performed well on the global stage. Wang 'XiGua' Le earned a silver medal at the WCG in 2011, and Hu 'MacSed' Xiang won a bronze medal at WCG 2012. The organization has maintained involvement in the scene, with player Wu 'Coffee' Yishen placing third at the DreamHack SC2 Masters event in Valencia in 2022.

Organization Evolution and Legacy

Since its founding, Invictus Gaming has expanded and contracted its competitive divisions according to trends in competitive gaming. The organization has fielded teams in games like Crossfire and StarCraft II consistently, while also experimenting with divisions in CS:GO and Overwatch, the latter of which was suspended in 2017. In League of Legends, they also formed academy teams, iG.Ice and iG.Fire, in 2016 to develop new talent.

The legacy of Invictus Gaming is defined by its historic, era-defining victories. Winning The International 2012 announced China as a major force in Dota 2. A decade later, their 2018 League of Legends World Championship win broke a long drought for the LPL region and ignited a new period of Chinese dominance in that game. Funded by significant capital and built around superstar rosters, IG demonstrated how a professional esports organization could achieve sustained excellence across multiple titles.