The Birth of Apotheon eSports

As the world of eSports continues to grow, it is only fitting that many new organizations are trying to get involved as soon as possible. This is especially true in the Call of Duty community.

With the announcement of the Call of Duty World League for Call of Duty®: Black Ops III, a ton of new organizations are trying to enter the community at possibly it’s highest point to date. One new organization in particular that has already started to make a name for themselves, in part due to the stellar roster they were able to sign, is Apotheon eSports.

https://twitter.com/ApotheonEsports/status/659840072871600129

At its roots, the definition of Apotheon speaks for itself and sheds some light as to what this organization stands for.

“The Apotheon name itself by definition is: an enlightened and elevated individual, exalted to a state of Godliness… transcendent above all others,” the Apotheon Group said.

Apotheon eSports was just a concept a few weeks ago, but has now blossomed into a rising eSports organization with some hard work behind-the-scenes. The acting CEO of Apotheon, Shayne “kRooKya” Leonard, had a lot to say about the birth of this organization and how they have made it to where they are today.

“The Apotheon Group is an Angel Capital Company who were seeking an opportunity to invest into the growing market of eSports,” the Apotheon Group said. “In doing our due diligence, we came across Shayne “kRooKya” Leonard, who is now the acting CEO of AES.”

The Apotheon Group essentially gave Leonard the “keys to the castle” as they helped make his dream a reality.

“Shayne was seeking to put an organization together, although lacking the financial support, but having the passion and professionalism, along with some valuable contacts in the Call of Duty community to allow us to achieve our current milestones,” the Apotheon Group said. “The Apotheon Group put together a deal structure and formed Apotheon eSports Inc., bringing Shayne and part of his team together under the Apotheon brand.”

The Apotheon Group really started to gain interest in the business side of eSports last summer, and their plan, at least for now, is to fund the Apotheon eSports team on their own as they look to implement their own comprehensive business strategy.

“Having this initial interest in Call of Duty players, we obviously set our target on Black Ops III, and the inception of the new Activision World League only reinforced our decision to maneuver here first,” the Apotheon Group said.

Also, the Apotheon Group sounded like an experienced organization when they stated that they understand the importance of growing chemistry on a Call of Duty roster.

“The Apotheon Group felt that implementing its own organization within the business itself would provide further benefit to its players through the early stages of their careers, hoping to create long term relationships,” the Apotheon Group said. “But, we understand that opportunities may arise for the players or AES itself to move in other directions as required.”

As they looked to get their start in Call of Duty, Apotheon needed to find the appropriate players to build their first-ever roster, which was not an easy task at first.

“There is a very difficult transition for a new organization to overcome in order to establish itself as credible in the eyes of the Pro Players,” the Apotheon Group said. “Therefore, Apotheon eSports relied heavily on the COD player knowledge and hard work of Shayne to bring a roster of talent, recognizable names, and professionalism into Apotheon as our first professional roster for Black Ops III.”

https://twitter.com/ApotheonEsports/status/659487388964667393

This is exactly what AES was able to do when they picked up their current roster consisting of Philip “PHiZZURP” Klemenov, Damod “FEARS” Abney, Tyree “LegaL” Glover and Andres “Lacefield” Lacefield. These guys have had past success playing together, and that is exactly what Apotheon was looking for when they decided to branch out into the Call of Duty community.

“AES was seeking talented players with a recognized history and popularity in the game to lend a hand to Apotheon eSports and its required credibility through our initial launch in Black Ops III,” the Apotheon Group said. “We also respected the feedback from our current AES players who defined chemistry as an important role for a top placing team, and they strongly felt that they have achieved the right combination of skill and chemistry to be recognized and compete as a top contender.”

FEARS, the captain of this newly-formed Apotheon eSports team, was able to give his side of the story and explain what led to his decision to join AES.

“What led to my team and I deciding to join Apotheon eSports was the CEO of Apotheon,” FEARS said. “Shayne has been around since the Call of Duty 4 days. He presented an opportunity to me well over a month before Black Ops 3 was released.”

With the offer on the table, FEARS simply had to assemble his ideal roster to bring over to the Apotheon organization.

“After I finalized my team’s roster, I had a discussion with them about this opportunity we could take on,” FEARS said. “It was an offer that would benefit everyone involved and we all agreed to see what this was going to lead to. So far, things look promising.”

While Lacefield is more of a newcomer to Call of Duty during Call of Duty®: Advanced Warfare,  FEARS and PHiZZURP have both been in the competitive scene since the beginning. With their veteran leadership, this lineup definitely has potential looking ahead to the World League.

However, with all this experience under their belts, some people were surprised when this roster announced they would be playing for a new organization such as Apotheon. FEARS said that this decision is one that the entire Call of Duty community can benefit from.

“The benefit of joining a new eSports organization like Apotheon is it helps the growth of our community,” FEARS said. “Most importantly, the continued support of whatever the players need. I know a lot of our players need an organization to help out with their travels. With more new organizations appearing, it allows more teams to compete.”

https://twitter.com/AES_Fears/status/664147880261865472

As the captain of AES, FEARS feels he is in a great position to help lead this organization to a great start in the competitive Call of Duty scene.

“My expectation for my team in Black Ops III is to just have the same roster throughout the entire year to build a dynasty,” FEARS said. “Having chemistry with your team goes a long way and is very rewarding.”

Personally, FEARS feels that he is due for great success, which can be seen in the goals he has set for himself in Black Ops III.

“My personal expectation for Black Ops III is to have the most dominant year in my career of Call of Duty,” FEARS said. “I’ve always been great at the Black Ops series and this time around I’m going all out. I’m excited to see what the future holds for me.”

These personal and team expectations set by FEARS do not falter from the goals that Apotheon have set for themselves as an organization.

“We have tried to maintain modest expectations throughout the first stage of Black Ops III, and we feel it all begins with a solid showing through the first couple events,” the Apotheon Group said. “AES would be extremely grateful for an opportunity and invitation to the Activision World League Pro qualifier for our squad, as we feel they will compete for top finishes throughout the season.”

In terms of growth outside of Call of Duty, Apotheon plans to take the standard route of expanding their brand through proper use of social media outlets.

“Moving forward, most organizations utilize their social media exposure, online stream and video channels to build their organizations, players and brands,” the Apotheon Group said. “This is a traditional path that AES will follow, but we also have some industry leading ideas built into our business plan, and although it takes some time for implementation, we look forward to joining other respected organizations in leading the way.”

The guys leading the way for Apotheon both behind the scenes and in-game definitely have the right attitude and mindset to help make AES one of the best new organizations in Call of Duty.

https://twitter.com/ApotheonEsports/status/664322761024782336

In-game, the Apotheon roster seems like they are clicking, having just recently won a 4v4 Variant online tournament. While this is only a simple online tournament, this is just the beginning of Apotheon eSports as they look to continue their newfound success at the start of Black Ops III. Everyone is sure to have their eyes on the veteran players on this roster to help make Apotheon eSports a household name in the eSports community moving forward.

What are your expectations for Apotheon eSports heading into Call of Duty®: Black Ops III? Let us know by commenting below or tweeting us @eSportsNation.