One of the most prominent teams in Hearthstone has expanded to a new and perhaps unexpected arena.
Tempo Storm is taking its first step into the fighting game community by signing Christopher “Chris G” Gonzales.
Gonzales stands as one of the best Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 players in the world, having mastered and popularized a lockdown style of Morrigan play. With her at the front of his team, Gonzales has won a number of tournament titles, though an Evo championship has remained elusive.
But Gonzales’ accomplishments go beyond the game and character he is most famous for playing. He has established a reputation as one of the most versatile players at the top of the fighting game scene, winning events and achieving notable placements in games such as Mortal Kombat, The King of Fighters XIII, Skullgirls and Injustice.
With Capcom and Sony partnering to bring $500,000 of prize money to Street Fighter 4 this year, the fighting game community as a whole has seen its profile raised. And Gonzales is no slouch in Capcom’s signature fighting game either, with a long list of top eight finishes and a few title wins to his credit.
Andrey “Reynad” Yanyuk said in the team’s official statement that he found Gonzales to be a “hard working, high caliber player.” In his own statement, Gonzales noted that the agreement came about as he sought a new travel sponsor and to begin streaming, a practice that has become a significant source of income for many professional gamers.
Whether Gonzales is able to translate the partnership into further success remains to be seen, but Tempo Storm seems set on continuing its expansion beyond Hearthstone. The organization already expanded into Blizzard’s new MOBA Heroes of the Storm earlier this year.
