WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 29, 2021 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has advised the Kansas City Pioneers LLC, an emerging esports organization, on several fundraising, sponsorship, employment, corporate, and team-property acquisition and divestiture matters. Most recently, the firm supported the Pioneers in the sale of its previous Rocket League team to Shopify Rebellion, owned by the billion-dollar e-commerce company Shopify, Inc. The Greenberg Traurig team was led by Associate Nicolas H. Sabet and included Associates Christopher T. Turek and John S. Jongbloed, and Shareholder Scott Meza.
While under Pioneers ownership, the former Rocket League team rose to the top of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS). Following the Pioneers’ divestiture of the former team, Greenberg Traurig assisted the Pioneers in securing a new Rocket League squad. Cameron “Kronovi” Bills, one of the top players in the league, leads the squad.
“To close the deal with Shopify and then bring on another tier-1 Rocket League team back-to-back in such short order, we knew we could rely on Nicolas and the GT team to provide us with the legal and business advice we needed,” said Pioneers CEO Mark Josey. “The Pioneers are absolutely ecstatic to have recently joined the roster of prominent esports organizations that are represented by Greenberg Traurig.”
Greenberg Traurig also recently advised the Pioneers in finalizing the significant signing of professional Call of Duty player Doug "Censor" Martin. Censor is a former player for FaZe Clan and the NY Subliners and a content creator with over 2 million YouTube subscribers. “The deal with Censor was unique and couldn’t have been more important to us. It was clear that GT could cut through the back-and-forth given their real grasp on the esports landscape,” Josey said.
The Pioneers currently have professional esports teams competing in Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Madden, Halo, Valorant, and Call of Duty. The Pioneers actively maintain sponsorships with DoorDash, Under Armour, and Social Apex Media, a premier marketing firm in the Midwest.
Greenberg Traurig’s Video Games & Esports Practice, represents video game studios and publishers, esports leagues, esports teams, studios and entertainment companies, content and rights owners, merchandisers, and hardware and accessory suppliers. Members of the team have led complex transactions at the forefront of the industry. The team provides counsel on a broad range of services such as mergers and acquisitions, video game development and publishing, esports league management and tournament production, patent, trademark and copyright protection, sports law, sponsorships and endorsements, employment and immigration matters, gambling and sweepstakes, music and sound recording licensing, motion picture, television and media production, merchandizing and ecommerce, litigation, real-estate and stadium development, and governmental regulation and policy initiatives.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 3.0 Certified. Web: www.gtlaw.com