Subnation Media Buys Into XTRA Gaming Fortnite Team
Encrypting your link and protect the link from viruses, malware, thief, etc! Made your link safe to visit.
Gamer lifestyle holding company Subnation Media is buying half of prominent North American Fortnite esports team XTRA Gaming, and making the team’s founder, Manny Vieites, director of esports and competitive player integrations.
“XTRA Gaming was founded by an incredible group of gamers and creators, and through hard work and passion has become a top-ranked competitive esports team,” said Subnation co-founder and CEO Seven Volpone. “We’re excited to help propel them to the next level by developing a multifaceted, digital-to-physical approach that positions them as a lifestyle powerhouse in the world of esports.”
Vieites, 26, founded XTRA three years ago, building on his relationships playing the hit battle Royale title while a bored senior at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, before he headed off to the University of Miami law school.
While at law school, Vieites said he continued to bootstrap XTRA, scouting and signiug a group of up-and-comers in the Fortnite world, including now-prominent players such as Reet, Mero, Illest and Furious. All have also built significant online followings, an almost de rigeur in esports circles, especially for the big teams that have blown up the past couple of years with big brand deals, specialized merchandise, and professional training facilities.
XTRA now has nine signed Fortnite players among its roughly 35 employees, Vieites said. The team also has online content creators streaming and playing on Activision’s ATVI Call of Duty platforms and Electronic Arts EA ’ Apex Legends. XTRA doesn’t yet have competitive pro teams on those or other game platforms, but Vieites said that’s a top priority with the Subnation deal.
Volpone – a long-time veteran of music, esports and advertising – said in an interview that he had been intrigued by XTRA because it has a unique culture, notable early success and much less overhead than many of the big teams that have signed splashy investor deals the past couple of years as esports has become a hot commodity.
“You’ve heard me be vocal in the past about my disbelief about some of these teams. There’s a lot of hype,” Volpone said. “There’s a few different things here that really make (XTRA) special. As we look at landscape, really see a lot of innovation in the way Manny has done his team. (Vieites has shown) an ability to find and curate these players. There really is a very different family dynamic here, which sets them apart. The other thing is a sheer desire to compete.”
For Vieites, the timing couldn’t be better. He’s finishing his last semester at the University of Miami law school.
Subnation will wrap its lifestyle, culture and branding relationships around XTRA to help build out opportunities there, Volpone said.
“We want to expand, but do it smartly,” Volpone said.
Subnation has been involved in a diverse set of gaming-related initiatives since its founding. Most recently, it helped create the Subnation Oasis, a series of events on the rooftop of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., beginning with a New Year’s Eve concert by Justin Bieber.
Subnation also is advising the 2022 launch of the gamer-focused Atari Hotel project in Las Vegas, and advised the city of Raleigh, N.C., on developing a major esports tournament and facilities as a way to drive tourism.
0 Response to "Subnation Media Buys Into XTRA Gaming Fortnite Team"
Post a Comment