Imagine Dragons members and management invest in ReKTGlobal and Rogue

ReKTGlobal has today announced that both ‘members and management’ of Imagine Dragons have become new investment partners in the company.  

In addition to securing a stake in ReKTGlobal, both Daniel Platzman and Wayne Sermon of Imagine Dragons have gone a step further, and become co-owners of ReKTGlobal’s Las Vegas-based esports organisation Rogue.

Copyright: kobby_dagan / 123RF Stock Photo

ReKTGlobal is ‘an esports infrastructure company’ which looks to bridge the gap between traditional sports and esports. Whilst on the surface this move by the band members may seem out the blue, this isn’t quite the case. Imagine Dragons officially entered the esports scene back in 2014; they wrote the song “Warriors” for the League of Legends World Championships. They also performed at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea to 40,000 fans and 27 million online viewers.

Both Platzman and Sermon are gamers and esports fans, and reportedly plan to become a lot more active and closely involved in the community through their work with both ReKTGlobal and Rogue. For those unaware, Imagine Dragons are quite a big deal. The band has sold over 12 million albums and 35 million singles worldwide. Their 2017 album ‘Evolve’, sold more than 1.3 million albums in the US alone and saw over 4 billion streams globally.

Steve Aoki acquired Rogue in 2016. The org has since changed hands to ReKTGlobal but Aoki is still involved.

Mac Reynolds, Manager of Imagine Dragons noted: “We love gaming and esports and have been looking for new ways to contribute to this community for a long time—but we never found the right fit until now.

“We expect to see esports continue its rapid growth internationally, and we think Rogue and ReKTGlobal are the partners who will help make our hometown of Las Vegas the premiere team and gaming event destination.”

“We’re excited to welcome the Imagine Dragons team on board,” said Amish Shah, Founder of ReKTGlobal. “Between the band and Steve Aoki, we’re building a powerful group of enthusiastic brand ambassadors and leaders to help us as we continue to build the esports industry and create championship-winning franchises with Team Rogue.”

“The Imagine Dragons team is going to be an important part of Rogue’s future and the future of Las Vegas,” said Derek Nelson, Rogue CEO and Co-Founder. “As we continue to build championship-winning teams and build the city as the premiere destination for American esports, the influence of Imagine Dragons and Steve Aoki will be the driving force behind it.”

Rogue, which currently fields teams in Overwatch, CS:GO, Vainglory, Rainbow Six Siege, and H1Z1, was founded in May of 2016, in Las Vegas. 

Esports Insider says: ReKTGlobal has signed partnerships with the likes of State Farm and Find Your Grind this year, but the on-going exposure that will be delivered by Imagine Dragons coming on board will be considerable. We can expect Imagine Dragons’ Platzman and Sermon to be getting very involved with Rogue too, which, we can assume, will only be positive for the Vegas based org.