Berlin-based esports organization G2 Esports announced Monday that it has entered the fray in North America with a new men’s Valorant team. The expansion into North America will see G2’s team compete in the Valorant Challengers North America league in 2023. The G2 team will feature former CS:GO player and coach (turned Valorant diehard in 2020), Immi. He’ll be joined by ShahZaM, Dapronal, Penny, Wippie, and Oxy.
G2 also recently signed a new partnership with U.S. sportswear company Oakley, with a focus on its new gaming glasses line, NXTLVL. The partnership will see the brand releasing a co-branded eyewear product designed specifically for gamers in the future, G2 claims. Oakley joins G2’s global commercial partners that includes Streamcoi, Logitech, Ralph Lauren, Mastercard, Herman Miller, Pringles, and Red Bull.
The move to Valorant Challengers is somewhat of a “fallback” for G2 after it was denied a franchise by Riot Games earlier this year due to its now former CEO Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Rodríguez’ defiant response when it was revealed that he had been hanging out with controversial figure Andrew Tate.
It should be noted that while Rodríguez “resigned” as CEO of the company, he is still the largest shareholder owning a 29.7% stake and is technically co-managing director of G2 (G Esports Holding GmbH) alongside Alban Dechelotte, who was promoted to the position on Nov. 3, according to the German commercial register.