The Professional Esports Association added Philadelphia 76ers ownership group-owned Team Dignitas and Miami Heat-invested Misfits to its ranks as it pivots away from its previous endeavors in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and extends its focus to the growth of global esports and the welfare of professional esports athletes, the association announced on Thursday.
The PEA's goal is to work collectively to build and further develop the North American esports ecosystem. "In a rapidly changing ecosystem, we are looking to build really long-lasting relationships with many of the key stakeholders to continue advancing the ball forward," Misfits co-founder and CEO Ben Spoont told ESPN. "We [the PEA] collectively, and this is one of the reasons Misfits wanted to join, [are] able to work directly with publishers, players, distribution outlets, both online, and linear options in the future. Joining a group that includes essentially the largest, not only North American, but global brands, in esports was an easy decision for us."
The addition of Dignitas and Misfits brings the number of teams in the PEA to nine. Together, these teams aim to collectively discuss opportunities with game publishers about their potential involvement in leagues or events, as well as to create self-regulated structural standards such as employer-sponsored health care and proper employment status for its players.
"We believe that working with other teams in the PEA, we can help grow the ecosystem," Team Dignitas CEO Jonathan Kemp told ESPN. "We believe we are better able to service our players, the community and the fans, and we believe we'll continue to build those relationships to publishers. That can only benefit everybody in the ecosystem."
Kemp, a former executive at British game publisher Eidos Interactive and the International Olympic Committee's interactive entertainment partner, was appointed as the Team Dignitas CEO in October, just weeks after the 76ers ownership group acquisition. The PEA was created in September 2016 as a response to the formation of the World Esports Association, the ESL-spearheaded European group of teams. The PEA also consists of Team SoloMid, Cloud9, Team Liquid, Counter Logic Gaming, NRG Esports, Immortals and compLexity Gaming, representing the largest brands in North American esports.
The PEA then announced its intention to build a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league and withdraw its teams from the ESL Pro League, a notion that was met with heavy criticism and public opposition from its own players. The players voted nearly unanimously to prevent the teams' exit from that league and the PEA relieved commissioner Jason Katz and other staff of their duties in February. The association told ESPN that it has no further plans to create its own Counter-Strike: Global Offensive league at this time.
Team Dignitas is one of the oldest teams in esports. The organization was established in 2003 by former esports player Michael "ODEE" O'Dell in the United Kingdom, but due to its affiliation with the North American League of Legends Championship Series since 2013, the team has a wide footprint in the PEA.
"Some of our teams are in Europe and some are in North America so I guess most of us consider ourselves global in that respect," Kemp explained. "We actually have more players based in Europe than we do in North America. Our heritage and background is in being European. I'm a Brit living in North America, so I would say that we still consider ourselves to be a global organization."