Icon Esports has acquired the Chiefs Esports Club, effective immediately, with the new enterprise set to compete under the Chiefs’ current organisational branding and structure.
The major acquisition will see the Chiefs take over operations for Icon’s Rocket League team, which will be travelling to Valencia to compete in the Dreamhack Pro Circuit Tour in early July.
The Icon-helmed organisation will also continue competing as the Chiefs Esports Club in the Oceanic Pro League, and the Oceanic Challenger Series. Participation in CS:GO tournaments, as well as Fortnite and PUBG events, will also continue.
According to representatives within Icon Esports, the acquisition of the Chiefs is a natural extension of their ambitions to create a leading esports organisation in Oceania. The new venture will also look to continue to support the development of local regional players.
“We are excited to commence the next chapter of our involvement in the esports market here within Oceania and more importantly with the Chiefs”
Nick Bobir
“Over the last few months, we have made strides to develop new business lines which give back to the fans, grassroots and help promote the local landscape to new audiences. As a business, it’s important to diversify and strategise for the future and we can’t wait to share the activation announcements in July,” Icon chief executive Nick Bobir said.
Icon has already taken steps to support the development of Australian and New Zealand representatives with their new ‘Ecosystem Development Program’. The first stage of this project from the combined Icon-Chiefs venture will be announced in July. It has already been confirmed the project will “include a number of esports” across Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.
The acquisition of the Chiefs Esports Club is a major move for Icon, which was founded earlier this year by a cohort of private investors. Icon’s first foray into the competitive side of the esports industry was with the former Tainted Minds Rocket League roster.
They now take on a leading role in one of the biggest esports organisations in Oceania. The Chiefs have been operating in multiple gaming titles since its foundation in 2014, including League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Rocket League.
The Chiefs have won the Oceanic Pro League four times, and have represented the region three consecutive times at Sydney’s premier CS:GO event IEM Sydney. The org’s Counter-Strike team has been regarded as one of the region’s best since their formation and were crowned back-to-back ESL AU&NZ champions in Season 6 and 7.
Recently, the Chiefs former Rocket League team managed a historic top-four finish at the Rocket League Championship Series Season 6 finals in Las Vegas.
