Mathew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag had retired from his gaming career. One of Call of Duty’s most beloved stars and personalities moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. There he started the company as a way to sell his merchandise, besides, the name seemed fashionable. This turned out to be a good move. The man felt that if he were to go back to competitive gaming he would do so with his own squad, his ambition was clearly evident.
Franchising in Esports began to take off in early 2018. Investors from traditional sports sought to invest money in the esports industry. 100 thieves were in pole position and received a multimillion-dollar boost from Dan Gilbert, the owner of NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers. This infusion allowed them to purchase a spot in the highly coveted League of Legends championship.
Their first move was to sign Ace player Zaqueri ‘Aphromoo’ Black among others. They had an amazing run with the star-studded squad though lost in the finals to Team Liquid, a behemoth in the esports space. They remained undeterred and secured a spot in the next championship but things went awry when they were knocked out by TSM.
The Thieves however went ahead to represent North America in the world championships, a significant milestone for a first-year team. Sadly, in a repeat of NACL it wasn’t possible to clinch the title. This event led to uproar by their fans. Due to the backlash, management traded star player Meteos and benched Cody Sun. Nadeshot even expressed his disappointment caused by all the heat they were taking from the fans, he admitted not having experience enough to lead the team.
Hope was not lost for this fledgling team. They rallied and won the next tournament, managing a stunning victory at the Call of Duty world league. At this point, momentum was on their side as they went on to win another competition in Anaheim.
This success brought with it a sponsorship from Rocket Mortgage and led to the birth of a weekly documentary series. The series trailed the lives of the team members, documenting their esports journey. The content greatly benefitted the brand as it connected to audiences in a personal way. Their success definitely didn’t stop there as they announced a partnership with Redbull and created the first ever esports locker room. This was in conjunction with Stock X, the team was also outfitted with new footwear from Yeezy.
The brand made a giant leap as it decided to open up to investors, Drake and Scooter Braun joined the organization as co- owners. They rode this wave of good fortune and went ahead to sign some of the biggest names in Fortnite. The Thieves also went after streamers, bringing into their fold personalities such as Pokimane and CouRage. These streamers were placed in a house and allowed to ‘roam free’, this appealed to viewers as well as creating a bunch of lifestyle content that further built the brand.
However, with success came controversy, the most recent spat being with popular streamer NickMercs. He aired grievances against CEO Haag, claiming mistreatment by the company.
This brand has not only grown in terms of gaming but also as an apparel brand; their 2018 apparel sold out instantly, generating $500,000 in under 5 minutes with the products selling on Stock X for double the initial price. They made further moves by signing top manager Doug Barber to their team. Series B funding raised $35 million and they acquired a 15,000 square foot facility that would center operations to a state-of-the-art team facility. This organization has penetrated culture and the future certainly looks bright for 100 Thieves.
BlackPad Esports News 