Natus Vincere formed during late 2009 alongside their Dota 2 squad in 2011 has quickly made a name for itself throughout the Dota 2 Scene, most notably The First International. Now, the Ukrainian considers building up a gaming house in the USA.
Given the good performance of its squads and succeeding to collect more than a million dollars in prize pools, the organization is looking to expand its horizon by planning a US based gaming house for its squads. ESEA sat down with Na`Vi's PR manager, Andrew "Xeo" Yatsenko.
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
Why do you think you have such a large fan base in the US?
We would like to believe this is because of the outstanding skill level of our teams and players, as well as our record of tournament victories. Other than that, all of our players are really bright and versatile personalities, both in e-Sports and real life.
Whereabouts in the US have you been looking? Are there any particular states or cities that have taken your interest?
Right now we are thinking of the US West, somewhere like Los Angeles or San Francisco. We believe that this region is exceptionally healthy for progaming, as it has a good transport hub to attend all the events in the country and its climate is just so good! Our concept of a gaming house includes not only bedrooms and gaming zones for players, but also recreational areas such as a pool, gym, sun’n’surf volleyball and so on. We firmly believe that outdoor sports are a very important aspect of professional gaming and that’s why we would like to provide such opportunities for our players. Moreover, we will be able to produce decent video and live-streaming content from our US gaming house, showing the way of life of our players.
When are you planning to move, and which of your players are likely to be staying in the house?
Right now it is too early to discuss dates, but this is something we plan for 2013. Our initial idea was to bring one of our teams to the US for a certain period of time (approximately 3-4 months), then to bring another team for the same period, and so on. This will allow us to have a rotation of gaming squads between our European and US gaming houses, which would boost our presence and influence in both regions. Of course, we will have to adjust to the schedule of tournaments and leagues, so this plan may be subjected to certain changes.
We would like to believe this is because of the outstanding skill level of our teams and players, as well as our record of tournament victories. Other than that, all of our players are really bright and versatile personalities, both in e-Sports and real life.
Whereabouts in the US have you been looking? Are there any particular states or cities that have taken your interest?
Right now we are thinking of the US West, somewhere like Los Angeles or San Francisco. We believe that this region is exceptionally healthy for progaming, as it has a good transport hub to attend all the events in the country and its climate is just so good! Our concept of a gaming house includes not only bedrooms and gaming zones for players, but also recreational areas such as a pool, gym, sun’n’surf volleyball and so on. We firmly believe that outdoor sports are a very important aspect of professional gaming and that’s why we would like to provide such opportunities for our players. Moreover, we will be able to produce decent video and live-streaming content from our US gaming house, showing the way of life of our players.
When are you planning to move, and which of your players are likely to be staying in the house?
Right now it is too early to discuss dates, but this is something we plan for 2013. Our initial idea was to bring one of our teams to the US for a certain period of time (approximately 3-4 months), then to bring another team for the same period, and so on. This will allow us to have a rotation of gaming squads between our European and US gaming houses, which would boost our presence and influence in both regions. Of course, we will have to adjust to the schedule of tournaments and leagues, so this plan may be subjected to certain changes.
When it was first formed during late 2010, Na`Vi was proclaimed as a team with an allstar-lineup. However, shortly after it formed, the team regained strong dominance throughout the scene to the extend of winning the largest Dota 2 event, The First International. The team did not drop a game until the final against Ehome. Despite recent weak performances, the team has shown capacity to succeed under high expectations nonetheless such as winning all current StarLadder titles as well as placing 2nd at The International 2012.
For the full interview, head over to ESEA
