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KOI and Movistar Riders to join MAD Lions under OverActive Media brand consolidation
Foo Zen-Wen
Foo Zen-Wen
5 Jan, 2024, 09:55
|Last updated: 5 Jan, 2024, 09:57
OverActive Media is a Toronto-based corporation who currently hosts an empire spanning from the Overwatch League (Toronto Defiant) to the Call of Duty League (Toronto Ultra). In 2019, OverActive Media also rebranded Splyce as the MAD Lions. Under the MAD Lions brand, they host/hosted teams in the VALORANT NA Challengers League, the VALORANT EMEA Game Changers League, the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2023. Now, both the KOI brand and the Movistar Riders brand are on the cusp of acquisition by OverActive Media as well.
The KOI Brand
Founded in 2021 by former LVP caster Ibai Llanos and FC Barcelona legendary centre back Gerard Piqué Bernabeu. KOI hosted teams in both VALORANT and League of Legends in 2023. Their VALORANT roster competed in the VCT EMEA league. They also had a separate League of Legends roster that competed in the LEC alongside the MAD Lions brand.
KOI competed in the LEC in 2023 after partnering with Infinite Reality. However, when that partnership ended back in November 2023, the slot and starting roster reverted back to the Rogue brand.
The Movistar Brand
Founded by major telecommunications provider Movistar, the brand is owned by Telefónica. Movistar currently hosts teams in a massive esports portfolio that includes League of Legends, VALORANT, FIFA, Fortnite, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Clash Royale, Apex Legends, Hearthstone, Dota 2, PUBG, Starcraft 2, Quake, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League and plenty more.
The Movistar brand operated in League of Legends under two separate teams: Movistar Riders and Movistar R7. The former competed in the LVP Superliga, one of Spain’s largest esports competitions. The latter competed in the LLA. In Counter-Strike, Movistar was also an active competitor, hosting two lineups: Movistar Riders and Movistar Riders Blue. Movistar had also previously competed in VALORANT, with their roster competing most notably in the Spain Challengers League: Rising.
Temporary Names and Global Rebrand Effort
Currently in the immediate wake of the asset consolidation, all teams will be renamed to reflect the immediate acquisition. The VCT EMEA team will be rebranded from KOI to Movistar KOI. The Spanish Game Changers roster will take on the name MAD Lions KOI. MAD Lions in the League of Legends LEC will be rebranded to MAD Lions KOI. The Superliga roster will be renamed Movistar KOI.
However, according to OverActive Media’s spokesperson, the different team names is a temporary measure.
“A global rebranding effort, to include input from fans and influencers, will be undertaken in 2024 to unite all teams globally under a single brand by the end of the year.” - OverActive Media
With this acquisition, OverActive Media has assembled a veritable esports empire, with staked claims in all the major esports leagues globally: VALORANT, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty. Moreover, they have retained their claim on the Toronto Defiant brand in the OWL, despite the dissolution of the franchise in 2023.
According to sources, OverActive Media is anticipating a ‘$10-12 million’ increase in revenue in 2024, thanks in large part to the new acquisitions. They also believe their new enlarged brand portfolio will have the capability to reach over 100 million people in 2024. As of current, the acquisition still requires approval from the company board.
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Credit: OverActive Media
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