Immortals Snares $30M in Series B

Global esports organization Immortals LLC announced the close of its Series B fundraising totaling $30 million USD. Investors in the round include existing Immortals shareholders AEG, Lionsgate, the Milken Family, Steve Kaplan, and Meg Whitman with new investors John Griffin, March Capital Partners and others also participating. The company also announced that it will rebrand its holding company as Immortals Gaming Club (IGC) and that it had acquired Gamers Club, the leading Brazilian game matchmaking platform.

"Bringing together a premier platform in Gamers Club and our core esports team operations is a critical and exciting step in enabling IGC to become a vertically integrated, truly global esports and gaming organization," said Ari Segal, Immortals Chief Executive Officer, who will hold the same title in the rebranded IGC. "This fundraise is a major milestone in the evolution of this organization and furthers our ambition to build a distinctive, best-in-class esports and gaming organization: a values driven company, focused on promoting and celebrating inclusivity and diversity; a brand-specific approach to team ops, targeting deep engagement with high-affinity audience and community; a strong management team with complementary endemic and non-endemic experience and expertise; and a uniquely positioned, highly strategic investor base."

IGC will initially have two operating businesses: Gamers Club, which will continue to operate its successful community hub for CS:GO in Brazil while expanding into different games and geographies; and IGC Esports, which will operate IGC's competitive esports rosters under the Immortals, Los Angeles Valiant and MIBR brands. Combining the Gamers Club direct-to-consumer platform with IGC Esports' team operations strategically differentiates IGC from its peers and competitors, enabling a deeper, broader integration of gaming communities.

The combined organization will become the first-ever vertically integrated esports franchise operator and gaming platform. IGC has plans to add future esports, gaming and gaming entertainment-related investments and operations within Gamers Club and IGC Esports as well as through additional operating companies to be announced later this year.

"As a Board, we believe in IGC's differentiated strategy of diversifying its portfolio of assets beyond core esports operations," said Meg Whitman, CEO of Quibi and member of the IGC Board of Directors. "Winning in esports and gaming requires commitment and patience, and we are focused on building long term sustainable value."

Gamers Club

Based in Sorocaba, in the state of Sao Paulo, Gamers Club is a platform and community hub connecting over 1 million registered gamers across Brazil's avid gaming market, in particular Brazilian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players, through tournaments, premium content, coaching and social networking.

Company co-founders Yuri "Fly" Uchiyama and Juliano "Memelo" Mirandolli will continue to operate Gamers Club and lead the platform's expansion into different games and geographies. Uchiyama, who will report to Segal, remains Gamers Club's CEO and will also join IGC's senior management team. Gamers Club co-founder and MIBR Counter-Strike player and captain Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo will continue his involvement with Gamers Club and remain a mainstay player on the IGC-owned MIBR CS:GO roster. As part of the transaction, Mirandolli, Toledo, and Uchiyama became shareholders in IGC.

"IGC's vision to unite esports and gaming platforms will deliver the best possible experience for current and future members of the Gamers Club community," Uchiyama said. "We look forward to working with IGC to create this best in class experience across Counter-Strike and other games."

To deepen its commitment to the country and region, IGC and its CS:GO team MIBR (Made In Brazil) has also established local Brazilian team and business operations with Renan Philip, former CEO of PAIN Gaming, the first Latin American organization to have a gaming house, leading those efforts.