The New York Yankees announced Thursday that they have invested in Vision Venture Partners, the parent company of Echo Fox, Twin Galaxies and Vision Entertainment. The partnership allows the Yankees to enter esports in League of Legends, the first-person shooter market and the fighting game community through Echo Fox.
According to a statement, the Yankees aim to bring their experience in marketing, sales and partnership to promote growth within Vision Esports.
"The New York Yankees are thrilled to partner with Vision Esports and its diverse portfolio of esports companies," Hal Steinbrenner, New York's Managing General Partner and Co-Chairperson, said in a statement.
Since its creation in 2015 by three-time NBA champion Rick Fox, Echo Fox has fielded teams in several competitive scenes. In League of Legends, the team has been a regular in the North American LCS and has reportedly secured a franchising spot in the league. The company has since expanded into Vainglory and fields teams in Call of Duty, H1Z1 and Gears of War.
The organization also has a front-loaded fighting game division. Big names include Justin Wong, Street Fighter franchise veterans Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi, and Yusuke "Momochi" Momochi, Tekken 7 EVO champion and runner-up Kim "JDCR" Hyun-jin and Choi "SAINT" Jin-woo, top-ranking Mortal Kombat and Injustice players Dominique "SonicFox" McLean and Brad "Scar" Vaughn, and Super Smash Bros. pros Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman and Leonardo "MkLeo" Lopez Perez.
The Yankees' partnership also includes player ranking and video game world record platform Twin Galaxies, and digital entertainment production company Vision Entertainment.
"We look forward to exploring synergies between the Yankees and all of our portfolio companies to maximize the opportunity for a successful esports ecosystem for teams, players and fans," Stratton Sclavos, General Partner at Vision Esports, said in the statement.