Vici Gaming

Founding and Early Dota 2 Years

Vici Gaming was founded on 21 September 2012 with the assistance of a former player known as Fengdidi, who had previously played under the name PanPan for PanDarea Gaming. He assembled the initial roster by selecting highly ranked players from the Chinese DotA ladder. Most of these players had no prior professional experience, with the exception of sydm, who had played for TyLoo. The team showed early promise when mid laner Cty won a high-profile 1v1 tournament organized by the player 2009, defeating established stars like Ferrari_430, Sylar, and Hao, shortly before joining VG. The team qualified for the 2012 G-League Season 2 by beating Noah's Ark in the preliminaries.

The organization quickly established its Dota 2 division. In January 2013, they signed an online squad captained by the player YaphetS, which included players like Maybe. In March 2013, they signed the carry player ZSMJ, who is credited as a founder of the squad. It was believed he brought some teammates from a previous project. The team underwent several roster adjustments throughout the year, with ZSMJ replacing sydm and Cty moving from carry to the mid role. After failing to qualify for The International 2013 and performing poorly in other leagues, the team's management was restructured. Team executive PandaPanPan and manager Nada departed, replaced by mikasa, a former substitute player for VG.

Breakthrough and The International 2014

Vici Gaming's breakthrough on the international stage came in late 2013. The team traveled to Poland for the Raidcall EMS Fall LAN finals, an event featuring top western teams like Alliance and Natus Vincere who were pioneers in east-west tournament participation. Against the odds, Vici Gaming won the tournament, claiming their first major international title. This victory signaled their arrival as a global contender. The team also traveled to the Kingston HyperX Dota 2 League in Las Vegas afterwards. However, the team subsequently fell from the top due to a lack of direction and poor performances, failing to win another title in the season leading to The International 2014.

In April 2014, former EHOME player QQQ joined as a coach. At the end of that month, Vici Gaming received a direct invitation to The International 2014. They dominated the group stage, finishing in first place. They advanced through the playoffs to reach the Grand Finals, where they faced fellow Chinese team NewBee. Despite their strong run, VG lost the series 3-1, securing a runner-up finish at the world's most prestigious Dota 2 event. Following the tournament, the roster saw significant changes. Player rOtK announced his retirement on 17 August, and Sylar left the team on 26 August. They were replaced by iceiceice and Black^, forming a lineup that remained a top Chinese team for the rest of the year. In mid-December they traveled to Los Angeles and, as strong favorites, defeated Cloud9 3-1 to win The Summit 2 championship.

A Strong 2015 and the New Major Era

Vici Gaming maintained its status as an elite team through 2015. They reached the finals of the Dota 2 Asian Championships, considered the biggest event outside of The International at the time. They lost shockingly 3-0 to Evil Geniuses in the Grand Finals, a defeat that shook the team as the next International was months away. In March, after much speculation, Hao joined VG, replacing Black^ in the carry position. On 15 March, the team announced the creation of a youth squad, VG.P. Later in April, Vici won Starladder XII after defeating Invictus Gaming 3-1.

The team was again directly invited to The International 2015, which had a total prize pool of $18,377,817. They confirmed their USA visas on 2 July. They finished in fourth place, securing $1,562,114 in winnings. During the event, VG became the first team outside of Europe to obtain the Verified Tag on Facebook. After the annual post-TI roster shuffle, Hao returned to Newbee. VG acquired the carry player Xu BurNIng Zhilei and Yang YJ Pu. They finished second in the Nanyang Championships, falling 2-3 to Team Secret in the Grand Finals. They then participated in the first ever Valve-sponsored Dota 2 Major in Frankfurt, Germany, finishing in 5th place and winning $205,000.

The VGJ Partnership Project

In September 2016, Vici Gaming entered a partnership with American basketball player Jeremy Lin and investment group China Digital Group to form another Dota 2 team, called VGJ. The project was meant to create a celebrity brand in esports. The team later split into two regional branches in 2017. VGJ.Thunder operated in China, while VGJ.Storm was based in North America.

Both teams found success. VGJ.Storm won the GESC Thailand Dota 2 Minor tournament in May 2018. More significantly, both VGJ squads qualified for The International 2018. VGJ.Thunder qualified with a top eight finish in the Dota Pro Circuit, and VGJ.Storm won the North American regional qualifiers. However, the partnership was dissolved in September 2018 due to new Dota Pro Circuit team ownership rules introduced by Valve. As a result, VGJ.Thunder was disbanded and VGJ.Storm rebranded as J.Storm, focusing solely on the North American esports scene and ending Vici Gaming's involvement.

Expansion into League of Legends and Rebrand

Beyond Dota 2, Vici Gaming was also a presence in the League of Legends scene. The organization made a major signing on 1 December 2015, acquiring Lee Easyhoon Ji-hoon, the former world champion mid laner from the SK Telecom T1 roster. His acquisition was a statement of intent, aiming to build a competitive team around a proven player. The League of Legends division continued under the Vici Gaming banner for several years before undergoing a complete rebrand. On 2 January 2021, the team was renamed Rare Atom, marking the end of the VG name in professional League of Legends.

Final Years and Exit from Competition

Vici Gaming's time as an esports organization concluded in 2024. The organization officially exited the industry after the sale of its final competing team. This team competed in the King Pro League, the premier franchised Chinese league for Honor of Kings. On 3 June 2024, Vici Gaming sold its KPL slot and team to JD Gaming. This transaction removed the last active Vici Gaming squad from competition, bringing the organization's twelve-year history in esports to a close. The organization had fielded teams in Dota 2, League of Legends, StarCraft II, WarCraft III, FIFA, Hearthstone, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Honor of Kings throughout its lifespan.