SK Gaming and Renegades join WESA

The World Esports Association has announced the admission of SK Gaming and Renegades as full members of the organisation.

Founded in May 2016 by eight European teams ( Fnatic,  Natus Vincere,  Team EnVyUs,  Virtus.pro,  G2 Esports,  FaZe Clan,  mousesports and  Ninjas in Pyjamas) and ESL, WESA aims to professionalise esports and introduce regulations on player representation and revenue sharing. Despite promising starts its reputation suffered shortly after creation, as FaZe Clan left WESA, stating it wasn't the best place for the organisation to be.

Another blow to WESA came in January 2017 as Richard Lewis speculated that WESA would introduce exclusivity to its members, allowing them to play only in WESA-sanctioned tournaments, starting from 2018. WESA denied the allegation and since then it has been silent - until today, March 30th. Founded by European teams, WESA now expands to North America as the organisation has announced that  SK Gaming and  Renegades have joined as full members and became WESA's first two organisations that have teams competing in North America.

Regarding the joining, Ken Hershman, Executive Chairman and Commissioner of WESA released a statement.

We’re thrilled that SK Gaming and Renegades have elected to add their eSports brands to the growing collection of leading teams that comprise WESA. These teams will be a positive influence within WESA, and their contributions in the months and years ahead will be an important part of enhancing our collective vision for the organization.”

SK Gaming CEO, Alex Muller also had a few words to say:

We have been looking for ways to partner with the leading organizations in order to both professionalize the industry, as well as grow our profile. We believe that the organization fits our strategic goals with the collection of teams within WESA. We look forward to working collectively with all of the other WESA members to take esports mainstream.[requote2]

SK Gaming's Team Captain, Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo backed Muller and added:

We have had very open communication with WESA and they have been very transparent about what they have planned in the future. As a team, we believe that some regulations are needed in the CS:GO landscape and are happy to contribute and make ourselves heard in the process. We believe that SK Gaming will be a valuable asset to the association and are looking forward to working with everybody involved on growing the game we love.”

On the Renegades side, it was NBA Star Jonas Jerebko, owner of Renegades, who expressed his thoughts regarding joining WESA:

To reiterate what I said when I purchased Renegades a few months back, I plan to operate our organization in the same fashion that NBA teams function — with respect and support for the players and an appreciation for the fans. The esports industry is evolving and the parallels to mainstream sports are becoming clearer. My experience in sports can positively impact Renegades and, in turn, the esports industry, and I firmly believe that WESA is the right association to help realize those goals.”

With SK Gaming and Renegades joining, WESA now has ten members, of which nine are esports teams and one of which is ESL.

Image courtesy of WESA