Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment to Purchase Majority Stake in Clutch Gaming
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Philadelphia 76ers and esports organization Dignitas, will acquire the majority stake in LCS team Clutch Gaming from the Houston Rockets. The deal is valued at $20 million, as reported by ESPN.
Clutch Gaming to Rebrand as Dignitas
The report also states that Clutch Gaming will undergo a rebranding and adopt the name Dignitas later this year, potentially following the 2019 League of Legends World Championships in Europe. This marks the return of one of the oldest organizations in the LCS, after being denied franchise partner status in 2017.
Team Spot and Majority Share Sale in LCS
This is the first instance of a team selling its spot in the league and a majority share in the team since the league introduced franchising in late 2017. According to ESPN sources, there have also been reports suggesting that OpTic Gaming and Echo Fox may consider similar options in the future.
“The history with League of Legends and Dignitas is definitely substantial and for me, it’s really connected to the North American League of Legends Championship Series first and foremost,” said Dignitas CEO Michael Prindiville. “That’s going to be our focus, that’s the story that’s been written and the narrative we want to tell going forward of, ‘how do we get back there?’ It’s aspirational but I think we can do it.”
The Potential Impact on Dignitas’ Roster
In their last LCS appearance, Team Dignitas had notable players such as Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho, Jang “Keane” Lae-young, Lee “Shrimp” Byeong-hoon, Adrian Ma, and Johnny “Altec” Ru. It remains to be seen if the new management of Dignitas will retain the current Clutch Gaming roster, which finished second-to-last in the 2019 LCS Spring Split.
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