Many of the world’s biggest esports teams have agreed to join the startup Clash Royale League, an attempt by game developer Supercell to build a sustainable global competition circuit in a mobile game for the first time. The eight teams in the North American division include Cloud9, Team SoloMid, Tribe Gaming, Immortals, NRG Esports, compLexity Gaming, 100 Thieves and Counter Logic Gaming. The Europe division includes Fnatic, Misfits, SK Gaming, G2 Esports, Team Liquid, Team Queso, Team Dignitas and Allegiance. Divisions will also be organized in mainland China, the rest of Asia and Latin America. Each organization will build a team from the more than 7,000 gamers globally who proved their worth in an open competition earlier this year in Clash Royale, a free-to-play game that combines elements of strategic card games and multiplayer battle arena genres.
WHAT KIND OF TERMS? Supercell declined to explain the terms of the teams’ participation in the league, but sources said teams were given financial incentives and did not pay an entrance or franchise fee. North American and European divisions will start play in August, and a live world finals event will be held in late '18, Supercell said. Competitive play is still new to mobile gaming, typically home to casual fans more likely to see video games as a time killer than lifelong pursuit. However, experts feel that momentum is building and investors believe mobile games could cross over to mainstream audiences more easily than hard-core esports titles because of that vast, casual audience.
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Clash Royale League
Clash Royale League
