Positioning itself to capitalize on the growth of mobile esports, global esports organization Immortals announced today that it has established a new mobile division, “Immortals Mobile,” and acquired a roster in one of the most popular mobile games, Arena of Valor (Tencent).
Immortals CEO Noah Whinston said, “Mobile games represent the fastest growing segment of the gaming industry, and mobile esports are poised to benefit from that explosive growth. Today’s announcement is another significant milestone for Immortals, and we are very excited to work with one of the industry’s top mobile game publishers in Tencent to deliver phenomenal mobile gaming experiences to our fans.”
Immortals Mobile signed an Arena of Valor roster that will be captained by “Assassin Dave.” The team will compete for a slot at the upcoming Arena of Valor World Cup, which features a $500,000 prize pool and is scheduled to take place in July 2018 in Los Angeles.
“We are excited for Immortals’ entry into Arena of Valor,” said Ramon Hermann, Director of Esports, Tencent Games. “Immortals brings competitiveness, extraordinary sportsmanship, and professionalism to the community. We look forward to working in partnership with Immortals to achieve something truly special.”
The complete Arena of Valor roster will be revealed at a later date.
To lead the division, Immortals named former Apple executive and experienced mobile esports coach, manager, and caster Jeff “SuiJeneris” Chau as general manager of Immortals Mobile. In this role, Chau will oversee competitive operations and strategy for the new division, reporting to Whinston and Immortals’ President & COO, Ari Segal.
Chau brings an established track record of building championship rosters at multiple esports titles. At Hollywood Hammers, which he co-founded, Chau created and led the Clash Royale division to win back-to-back first place finishes at the NA Crown Duel Championship and Europe’s EWSC Championship. In Vainglory, Chau led Hollywood Hammers to its winningest season in spring 2016, when Hammers took first at all major tournaments and first at the NA Spring 2016 Championships. Chau then joined Immortals, coaching and putting together a roster that went from Challengers to Vainglory 2017 World Champions. After his time at Immortals, Chau led Team Liquid’s Arena of Valor team to compete in the Asia International Championship (AIC) 2017.
“I’m incredibly excited to work with Immortals to extend the organization’s mission into the fast-growing mobile esports space,” said Chau. “Mobile offers a tremendous opportunity for Immortals to connect with the largest player base in the world and jump on board a rocket ship that shows no signs of slowing. I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to help build Immortals’ mobile legacy from the ground up.”
“Jeff brings both a diverse business background and deep expertise in mobile esports, a rare combination of skills to this role,” added Whinston. “His skills and experience, coupled with his passion for mobile gaming, make him uniquely qualified to understand each stakeholder in the mobile esports value chain. I look forward to seeing what this new roster will accomplish under his leadership.”
“Entering mobile gaming is the clear next step for Immortals,” stated Peter Levin, Immortals Chairman and Lionsgate’s President of Interactive Ventures, Games & Digital Strategy. “We see immense potential to leverage broad, global participation to create compelling content, connect with a worldwide network of fans, and work with some incredibly talented publishers to establish something exciting, lasting, and accessible to more potential players and fans than any sport to date.”