Just a month before Major League Gaming Anaheim, North American esports organization Echo Fox, owned by former Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics basketball player Rick Fox, is expanding into "Call of Duty" by assembling a new competitive team for the game. The team will compete at Anaheim in the open bracket for a chance to make it to the main event if it places in the top four.
Heading the team will be former Team SoloMid and Rush eSports founder Jordan "ProoFy" Cannon, who recently parted ways with SoloMid shortly after it took eighth in the Call of Duty World League (CWL) Stage 1 Regular Season. Rounding out the roster are former Team Kaliber slayer Jeremy "Neslo" Olsen, former Cloud9 slayer Jonathan "SinfuL" Baez, and former Geared 4 Gaming player Josh "Cyborg" Kimp.
"It has always been the goal of Echo Fox and myself to find the best athletes to represent our brand," Rick Fox told ESPN. "Neslo, Proofy, Sinful and Cyborg excel in 'Call of Duty' and we believe that combining their championship pedigrees to our team will allow Echo Fox to reach new heights as we continue our quest for championships."
The team's first competition takes place in less than a month at Anaheim. It will compete against 95 other teams in the open bracket. If it takes top four, it will compete against the likes of CWL teams such as OpTic Gaming, Rise Nation, FaZe Clan and Luminosity Gaming.
ProoFy is the most recognizable name on the new team. He has competed for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Team EnVyUs, Luminosity Gaming, Team SoloMid, FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming.
Since purchasing Gravity Gaming's League Championship Series spot in December for a reported $1 million, Rick Fox has rapidly expanded Echo Fox.
The organization has formed teams from scratch in League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and has picked up an H1Z1 team and "Street Fighter V" player Julio Fuentes. It was also reported by Slingshot Esports that the team is looking to expand into "Super Smash Bros. Melee" and is in negotiations with Southern California player Joey "Lucky" Aldama.