BLACKLIST International partnered with Canadian esports media and entertainment company Rivalry to form Blacklist Rivalry—a new team that will compete in the 2023 season of the Dota Pro Circuit.
The official team jersey was unveiled during a recent press conference attended Dota 2 personalities.
“Our joint venture with Tier One represents another meaningful opportunity to support and engage with the Dota 2 community in Southeast Asia,” Rivalry CEO Steven Salz said. “We’re looking forward to working alongside its Blacklist team division to highlight the journey of these talented players with premium content for fans, as well as ensuring the team is equipped for championship-caliber success.”
Blacklist Rivalry is a joint venture that aims to combine Blacklist’s team management expertise and championship-winning experience with Rivalry’s content production and creative resources to build fandom and awareness.
The roster contains some of the biggest names in Dota 2 with a lineup of veterans with decades of experience competing at the highest level.
The team is composed of Carlo “Kuku” Palad, Timothy “Tims” Randrup, Marc Polo “Raven” Fausto, Nico “eyyou” Barcelon and Karl “Karl” Baldovino.
“Assembling a decorated team like this won’t guarantee us a win. There is still a lot of work to be done for sure but for us in Blacklist, we’re just happy that we’ll get to compete against the best in the world with this roster,” said Tryke Gutierrez, Tier One Entertainment CEO.
Gaming hardware titan Predator has also partnered with Blacklist Rivalry as a major sponsor, bolstering the team with high-end gaming PCs for their Predator-branded bootcamp.
“Predator Gaming is very happy to support Blacklist International. It has always been our goal to support esports from the grassroots to the professional level and we’re very honored to work with Tier One Entertainment and Blacklist International as they finally expand to Dota 2,” Acer Philippines General Manager Sue Ong-Lim said.
Acer Philippines’ Senior Marketing Manager Princess Laosantos praised the partnership epic.
“At Predator Gaming, we are happy to bear witness to where our partnership with Tier One Entertainment and Blacklist International will go and what greatness will be achieved by the players, who are all Predator League champions,” Ong-Lim said.
Image credits: Roy Domingo