North American esports organization Panda Global has acquired a team in competitive survival shooter game H1Z1, it announced Tuesday.
The team has signed Cameron "Camsim" Simmons, who recently returned to competition after an eye surgery; Garrett "Geesh" Shearer; Carter "MistaCarta" Bjorklund; Leighton "KandiVan" Tyler; and Jacob "ShellShock" Hash. It also acquired Glenn "iiNK" McCollum as its manager.
"H1Z1 has quickly grown to become not only one of the most interesting games to watch someone stream, but a highly competitive game in its own regard," Panda Global chief financial officer David Wu told ESPN in a statement. "As the scene moves along we think that the appeal of H1Z1 as an esport will be high as each of the matches has its own compelling story to tell, like watching a new Hunger Games every round.
"The introduction of the 5v5 format brings more potential for rivalries, action and story lines, perfect for propelling the [game's] esports aspirations forward and Panda Global is proud to be one of the teams on the forefront of this movement."
The news makes Panda Global the third major esports team to pick up teams in the budding esport, following the announcement of Las Vegas-based, Steve Aoki-owned Rogue acquiring a team several weeks ago. Echo Fox, owned by three-time NBA champion Rick Fox, first picked up a team in April 2016.