Swedish esports organisation Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) has announced a merger with the Chinese esports brand ESV5, creating NIP Group in the process.
As a result of the merger, Ninjas in Pyjamas will return to League of Legends by joining Riot Games’s Chinese franchised league, the LPL.
NIP Group will incorporate and rebrand ESV5’s Victory Five for its League of Legends operations as part of the deal. NIP will continue to field rosters in Valorant, CS:GO, Rainbow Six Siege and FIFA from its Western HQ in Stockholm, while its League squads will be based in Shenzhen, China, where they will be provided with training facilities, offices, and a home arena.
NIP Group will also incorporate ESV5’s Wuhan-based mobile gaming specialist eStar Gaming, through which it will enter competitive mobile gaming in League of Legends: Wild Rift, harmonizing with its League operations on PC.
The merger is not all about new gaming opportunities and potential successes; NIP hopes to harness ESV5’s significant expertise in entertainment and media to expand its digital influence on an international scale.
