Exertus Esports have new ownership – and the once UK organisation will now be based out of Houston, Texas.
We speak to the new CEO and co-owners for their plans, why they bought the org and ask them about the money some former League of Legends players are apparently owed.
A month or so ago, Exertus deleted all of their previous tweets and promised that an update would be coming soon.
A few weeks later and the announcement was made:
We are back, and under new ownership. We have big plans and hope you all will join us on this journey!
— Exertus eSports (@ExertusEsports) September 6, 2016
So who is behind the new org? Well, there’s a CEO and three co-owners so far.
CEO Jon Primm says he’s been involved within eSports for more than seven years, working with eLevate, eXcellence and most recently KingsmenGlobal.
“eSports has always been a passion, and turning Exertus into a household name would be satisfying,” Jon told eSports News UK.
“We are super excited for the future and we hope can retain past fans as well as bring in new ones along the way. This will be a fun ride.”
“[Co-owners] Blake and Mike have always been by my side, they are the guys who support me and have intelligent business minds. They are the definition of hard-working guys. The reason why I chose them to come on as co-owners.
“I acquired Exertus due to the fact that the brand is established. I can’t state the exact amount [we paid], but I will say it’s under five figures. So not as costly as one might think.
“We will primarily be focusing on CSGO and Call of Duty, I’ve always been a fan of CoD and want the scene to get back to the level it was on throughout 2013-2014. We will expand into other titles, but nothing is certain as of yet.
“Our long term goal is to provide players with a platform and financially stable group that can support their needs.
“We are US-based now, but won’t limit ourselves. It’s the best situation available for us, that’s how we will get our teams, whether it be US, UK, Australia, Brazil etc.
“All we’d like to add is that we are super excited for the future and we hope can retain past fans as well as bring in new ones along the way. This will be a fun ride.”
League of Legends player money
Jon says that a League of Legends team may be a possibility further down the road, and that he wasn’t initially aware that former Exertus UK players are apparently owed money by the org.
“Although I have recently found out about the LoL issues, it’s still something I think can be figured out, and is a brand that people will look at as ‘unique’,” he said.
“To our knowledge, the LoL teams debt was not ours to keep. Although I have spoken to someone involved and told them, we will repay them once the financials are available for us to do so if the debt isn’t covered by then, all out of good faith.”
Meet the rest of the team
Aside from CEO Jon Primm, there are three co-owners: Mike Calvillo, Blake and Joshua Hayes.
Describing himself as cautious but hard-working, 19-year-old Blake has been in the eSports industry for years.
Although he says he always puts business first, along with his full-time college schedule, he makes sure there is enough time in the day to relax. FIFA, Battlefield and Rocket League are some of his personal current games of choice. On a personal note, he is also a sports fan who is always focused on the next Arsenal match (good man).
Exertus hopes that Blake can help the brand prosper in its future within eSports.
Blake commented: “Exertus will be a global brand primarily run out of the lovely city of Houston, Texas. However, this does not mean the brand will forget its founding. We are studying closely the available leagues with the UK., as well as around the world.”
“To our knowledge, the LoL teams debt was not ours to keep. Although I have spoken to someone involved and told them, we will repay them once the financials are available for us to do so if the debt isn’t covered by then, all out of good faith.”
Then there’s Joshau “Foxtrot” Hayes, a 32-year-old from Tennessee, who has been in eSports for 10 years, from competing to management.
“A few noticeable teams I’ve been part of was Dream Team, doing graphical designs, and Pnda Gaming as an executive assistant,” he said.
“Exertus will become a very noticeable org.”
Finally there’s Mike Calvillo, described as a no nonsense, determined individual who is not afraid to get stuck in with some hard work.
Blake added: “He is no stranger to working exhausting, late night shifts and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. He has been involved in the gaming community for the better part of a decade, with much of that time involved in the world of eSports.
“Mike is a seasoned veteran when it comes to business dealings, ensuring Exertus has another brilliant mind to help with the most complex financial decisions. Most importantly, Mike is gratified for this opportunity, and is ready to begin the ascent towards the top alongside us.”
It’s a new journey for Exertus and will be interesting to see how they move forwards, but it is always a shame to see a well-known UK organisation leave the scene behind.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
