Binary Dragons team will be known as Valiance from now on.
The team which has so far performed under the name Binary Dragons has found a new supporter, the German-Croatian company Valiance UG, led by young Croatian entrepreneurs and Finnish investors. With a secured investment 250,000 euros, or slightly less than 1.9 million kunas, they will try to reach the top of the global CS:GO rankings, reports Index.hr on October 24, 2017.
Members of the team are Đorđe “DJOXIC” Niciforović, Luka “emi” Vuković, Nestor “LETN1” Tanić, Petar “Peca” Marković from Serbia, Nemanja “huNter” Kovač from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Anel “NENO” Ceković from Macedonia. They will play under the name Valiance, thanks to a one-year contract signed in the Croatian capital. The investment and support of a new organisation will surely help the guys to finally break into the very top of the global CS:GO rankings since they have been in the 30th position for several months. Currently, they are 38th in the HLTV global rankings.
This is an excellent news for all regional CS:GO teams trying to find their place under the sun. It is possible, and there is interest, but the reality is such that, in the territories of the former Yugoslavia and beyond, this team is much better than all others. Their responsibilities in regional leagues and much stronger competitions, such as qualifying rounds for global events and stronger online leagues, often make their schedules incredibly hard, with matches being played from morning till late evening. However, they do not mind it at all. The only thing which bothers them are poorly organized competitions, regional and global when they have to wait a few hours to play, because some organisers do not know how to compose a normal schedule.
Even at the very beginning of the regional league, it was apparent that Valiance (formerly Binary Dragons) were the main favourites to win. The first opportunity to present themselves with the new organisation to the Croatian audience will come in November, at the Reboot InfoGamer fair, which will host the finals of the Vip Adria League.
All this would not be possible without Valiance UG, a company founded by Dragan Gučanin and Antonio Meić, which has recognised the potential of e-sports. They already have experience with e-sports on mobile platforms, which demonstrated a lot of untapped potentials. Also, they are involved in the production and distribution of video and other forms of content, as well as in organising professional e-sports competitions. The Croatian branch of Valiance employs about 20 people and has two studios to organise and broadcast e-sports matches.
The new company’s brand, Valiance&Co., will focus on managing e-sports teams and players at the highest level, as well as on providing investments, and legal and other kinds of support. The signing of a one-year contract with the Binary Dragons team was described as just the beginning of the investment drive they are planning to extend to other e-sports areas such as Dote 2 and League of Legends.
“We are delighted that Valiance&Co has been presented to the public for the first time by signing a contract with Binary Dragons players. We have recognised their potential, the desire and skills of players, and we look forward to the next year when we will work together on two simple goals – entering the top 16 teams and the ESL Pro League. We know that this team belongs there and as an organisation, we will give them all the support needed to achieve the goals,” said Antonio Meić, CEO of Valiance UG. “Valiance&Co will not stop at this CS:GO team, and we plan in the next year to enter other popular e-sports titles in the region and beyond. Although Valiance UG has been operational for less than a year, in addition to the Valiance&Co brand which will focus on talent management, next year we will work to prove ourselves as leaders in mobile e-sports content, competitive event organisation, and to become the first-choice partner for mobile game developers.”
The investment itself should provide players with high-quality equipment, marketing, human resource support, as well as digital support. Also, the team will be able to prepare ahead of major competitions in Zagreb with psychologists and fitness trainers.
Team members were naturally happy to sign the contract, especially since the previous organisation did not fulfil its contractual obligations. But, despite all the problems, a little more than a week ago they demonstrated they could play against top 20 teams when they defeated HellRaisers and Pride, and then lost the final match of the European Qualification against Godsent from Sweden 3:2.
Petar “Peca” Marković, the team manager, explained what the contract meant for them. “After a year of working with iNation and the Binary Dragons organisation, it is time to
continue our path towards success. Today is a day people will hopefully talk about in the future as the beginning of a new era in regional CS:GO competitions. We have received an offer which could not be refused, and we cannot wait to work on a new development plan. The team remains together with new and high-quality people in the organisation who will work hard to achieve common goals with us. I am thrilled and proud that we will finally work with people from our region.” Or, as Petar likes to say: “The bigger the dream, the harder the grind…”
Translated from Index.hr.
