Ceb Reveals How PSG.OG almost happened
Paris Saint-Germain, commonly referred to as PSG, is a renowned organization worldwide, initially known for its achievements in football. Towards the end of 2018, the brand extended its business operations to the esports sector. PSG partnered with the Chinese team LGD for the first time.
The last iteration of PSG.LGD.Image Source: Twitter
It turns out that LGD wasn't the first team PSG approached, as their initial target was none other than OG. In an interview with Morf, Sébastien "Ceb" Debs, revealed what went wrong with the deal.
The Business Side of Esports
Ceb At The International 2021.Credits: Valve
People are familiar with the player side of Dota 2, but not everyone knows the business side of it as well. The side is where sponsorship deals and player management go through. It's like the underwater section of an iceberg, hidden from view but essential to the success of the team.
Credits: ValveBeing a player and co-founder of OG, Ceb revealed that his biggest challenge is the business side of management in esports. The fast-paced market puts a lot of pressure on the business aspect of the industry.
If the team makes less profit, players are likely to leave and join teams with higher salaries. However, despite the business aspect being a challenge, Ceb said he is satisfied with the results.
Why PSG.OG Didn't Happen
PSG was considering collaboration with OG when they entered the esports field. The French co-owner was a fan of PSG and was excited about the opportunity. It is important to note that the deal happened around 2018, which was the golden era of esports.
Ceb and N0tail, the co-owners of OG, at The International 2021.Credits: Valve
The deal between PSG and OG did not come to fruition due to several reasons. One of the factors was that PSG regarded the esports industry as something small and did not wish to be partners with OG in esports despite the team's achievements.
During an interview, Ceb stated:
"I was always been a big fan of PSG. Esports was kinda small, so a brand like PSG looking at esports and talking to us as OG. I was like what is going on? This was the golden era of esports. Then, it didn't happen for various reasons."
Ceb mentioned that both entities held distinct values. Moreover, if the deal came to fruition, OG would be limited in making certain decisions. OG held onto their values, and the deal did not go through.
"Mostly because they look at esports as being something small. So, they came like the big boss, looking at the small esports guy. They were like we can help. We were like, we don't need help. We can work together, but we believe in esports. Esports is going to get big. I don't know how much they realized how big esports was going to be. I would be super proud to be associated with PSG, but in a sense, we would have not been able to build things how we build them. Different values, mostly different weights because they knew businesses a billion times better, so they would have had a lot of weight, and we wanted to keep more independency in our views."
The Aftermath
The very first iteration of PSG LGD.Image Source: YouTube. @hemiW8
The same year, OG had to go through a rocky road to get to The International 2018. It was there that PSG debuted their collaboration with LGD. Interestingly, the two teams faced off at the grand finals, where OG emerged as the champions.
OG achieved massive success in the esports industry, even without PSG's collaboration. They made history by being the first team to win back-to-back TI championships.
OG became the first team to lift the prestigious Aegis Of Champions twice!PSG had a five-year partnership with LGD, but it has since ended. Currently, they have a partnership with Quest Esports.
Featured Image Source: Valve
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