European esports organisation Astralis has sold its Spanish academy team Astralis Stormbringers to sports and entertainment company Kosmos.
As part of the purchase, Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos has teamed up with the company and will be a co-owner of the team. Moreover, professional footballer and Kosmos President Gerard Pique has been named as a co-owner.
Gerard Pique (left) and Ibai Llanos (right). Photo Credit: Gerard Pique
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According to Dot Esports, Astralis Stormbringers’s place in the LVP Superliga has been purchased for EUR300,000 (~GBP257,819). Associated league rights have also been included in the purchase.
Ibai and Pique’s League of Legends team will compete in the league from the 2022 season onwards.
Jordi Soler, CEO of LVP, commented: “The arrival of Ibai and Pique to the Superliga is an important step for the growth of this sector. At LVP, we are convinced that they will contribute all their knowledge and passion to make an even bigger Super League and to consolidate the league as an indisputable benchmark at a European level.”
The announcement comes shortly after Astralis Stormbringers obtained its spot in Superliga earlier in August.
An Astralis spokesperson commented: “We thank everybody at Astralis Stormbringers for their efforts and hard work to secure the spot in the Superliga and we welcome Kosmos to the amazing world of esports.”
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At the same time, Astralis has secured a place in the Nordic League of Legends Championship (NLC), where the organisation’s Danish academy team will compete against teams from the Nordics, UK and Ireland. The competition is scheduled to commence in January 2022.
Earlier this week, Astralis Group has released its H1 2021 financial report, reporting a loss of GBP1.5m and nearly doubling its revenue.
Esports Insider says: This move is significant within the European Regional Leagues. Gerard Pique made his move in esports in 2017, when he founded football.pro. However now, together with Llanos, it looks like he will be actively participating in the growth of Spanish League of Legends. If executed correctly, the organisation could follow a similar trajectory of French organisation Karmine Corp. Moreover, the deal also sees Astralis move to the Nordic region, which makes sense given the organisation’s origins.