The esports organization Immortals Gaming Club sold the Houston Outlaws Overwatch team for $40 million. The price included the club's slot in the Overwatch League. Construction company owner Lee Zieben became the new owner.
The reason for the sale was the league's rules allowing only one OWL club to be owned due to a potential conflict of interest. Since 2018, Immortals Gaming has owned the Los Angeles Valiant, which is a member of the league. In June 2019, after the purchase of OpTic Gaming, the management of the second team, the Houston Outlaws, passed into the hands of the organization. After the deal, Blizzard went along with Immortals and set a time frame for the sale of the club. The company has also found a buyer.
The Houston Outlaws have been in the Overwatch League since their first season. The team managed to reach the playoffs of the first stage out of four, but according to the results of the entire season, the line-up finished seventh out of twelve. In the first two stages of the second season, esportsmen failed to enter the top 12.
Zieben is the founder of the construction company Zieben Group. The organization is engaged in construction in the United States. In 2018, the Zieben Group ranked 952 on the list of the fastest growing American companies. By According to Daily Esports, Zieben's interest in esports is a sign of the industry's longevity and profitability.
Source: 3dnews.ru