Pokémon Champ Wolfe Glick Heads to M80 as Part of Beastcoast Acquisition
Esports organization M80 has acquired fellow esports company Beastcoast today. The deal moves M80 into Dota 2 esports for the first time and notably includes Beastcoast's roster of high profile Pokémon players and content creators.
M80 is pleased to announce we have acquired Beastcoast and their esports and media businesses. Excited to welcome them to the M80 family! pic.twitter.com/yfSQjtKeFF
— M80 (@M80gg) December 5, 2024
M80 did not acquire Beastcoast's Rainbow Six Siege team during this transaction. Beastcoast recently joined forces with Cloud9 to create a joint R6 initiative which most recently competed in the game's North America Last Chance Qualifier tournament. M80 also already fields its own R6 team which recently competed in the same event.
The deal brings a massive follower base to M80 primarly as a result of Beastcoast's Pokemon enterprise. In 2022, Beastcoast made headlines by signing former world champion and top tier Pokemon Youtuber Wolfe Glick to its roster which also includes popular names such as James Baek, CybertronVGC, and Nekkra. Wolfe Glick alone boasts 1.52 million subscribers on YouTube.
The acquisition also includes multiple Beastcoast staff. According to a release, Beastcoast CEO Grant Zinn will transition to a role as the Chief Business Development Officer for M80.
“It’s been an incredible journey growing Beastcoast from the ground-up. Our success in various esports has always been focused around building community and supporting innovation in the space. I’m excited to bring that same spirit to M80 and help the organization as it begins its journey in several new esports.”
- Grant Zinn, Beastcoast CEO
With the signing of Beastcoast's Dota 2 team, M80 will also enter the South American esports market. The roster recently qualified for The International, Dota 2's world championship and one of the most prestigious events in esports.
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“M80 and Beastcoast have a lot of mutual respect for the communities we’ve built – and now we’re ready to take it to the next level,” said Marco Mereu, M80 Founder and CEO, in a release. “This move will bring M80 into key new esports titles like DOTA 2, allow us to reach and support new fans, and continue the breakneck momentum we’ve maintained since launching M80 just a year ago.”
Beastcoast was founded in 2017 and competed in a wide variety of esports including Super Smash Bros, Rainbow Six Siege, and Dota 2.
M80 was founded in 2022 is perhaps best known for its Valorant roster which recently qualified for the VCT Americas. The organization also fields a team in Counter-Strike 2.
Trent has covered esports since the birth of the LCS. He also led content strategy and served as Senior Writer for The Esports Observer and Sports Business Journal, and worked on the development team for Rushdown Revolt.