MLG founder Mike Sepso joins Overwatch League’s NYXL

Major League Gaming Co-Founder and former Activision-Blizzard Senior Vice President Mike Sepso has joined Overwatch League team New York Excelsior.

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Sepso joins the organization as a strategic partner to the ownership group, and will lead commercial growth as owners Sterling.VC look to expand in the New York esports market.

The announcement comes following a successful first season for NYXL in the Overwatch League. Though they fell short of claiming the trophy, the Excelsior were by far the most dominant team across the regular season, and with a roster of iconic players were perhaps the most talked-about squad throughout.

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Sepso is as veteran as they come in the esports industry, with nearly two decades of professional experience. After co-founding MLG, Sepso helped build it into one of the most prominent tournament organizers in the world, and following its acquisition by Activision-Blizzard was a key figure in bringing the Overwatch League to life.

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For New York Excelsior, Sepso brings “valuable expertise across sponsorship, media rights and a number of other areas that will help us develop this business and engage our fans in new and unique ways,” said Scott Wilpon, Partner at Sterling.VC.

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“As a New Yorker, I am incredibly excited to work with this team to develop a massive fan base for NYXL while bringing a persistent esports presence to the New York market.” Sepso said in a press release. “As the winningest team in the Overwatch League, NYXL has already ignited the passions of New York esports fans, and I’m thrilled to join the organization to help build on that momentum ahead of the team’s second season.”

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New York Excelsior is currently gearing up for the Overwatch League’s second season, set to kick off on February 14, in which they will undoubtedly be one of the favorites. So far the roster has remained largely unchanged in the off-season, with the departure of main tank Song ‘Janus’ Jun-hwa the only move announced so far.