Cloud9 Esports, Inc., also known as Cloud9 (C9), is an American professional esports company located in Santa Monica, California. The company was first created as a professional League of Legends team by Jack and Paullie Etienne in May 2013. It was officially registered as Cloud9 Esports, Inc. on September 6, 2016. Cloud9 has received 78 million U.S. dollars in total funding from investors and was ranked the world's fifth-most valuable esports organization in mid-2022.

Cloud9 has participated in many esports competitions since its founding, creating eight divisions by 2014. In 2018, Cloud9 won three international championships: the Rocket League Championship Series Season 6 World Championship, the 2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals, and the ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018. The company currently manages four franchised teams: Cloud9 League of Legends in the League Championship Series (LCS), Cloud9 Valorant in the Valorant Champions Tour Americas, Cloud9 New York in the Call of Duty League, and Cloud9 Rainbow Six in the BLAST R6 North America League. Previously, Cloud9 managed the London Spitfire in the Overwatch League. The company also manages or has managed non-franchised teams in Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, EA Sports FC, Fortnite, Halo, Hearthstone, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., Teamfight Tactics, and World of Warcraft.

History

The team that later became Cloud9 was formed after Quantic Gaming released its League of Legends players: Balls (An Van Lee), Meteos (William Hartman), Hai (Hai Du Lam), Sneaky (Zachary Scuderi), and LemonNation (Daerek Hart). These players created a team named Team NomNom, which later changed its name to Cloud9 in early 2013. Quantic Gaming reacquired Cloud9 in April 2013 but allowed the team to keep the name. In May 2013, Jack Etienne and Paullie Etienne bought the players' contracts for less than $20,000, officially starting the Cloud9 organization. Paullie Etienne became the chief operating officer, and Jack Etienne’s father later joined as the organization’s first legal counsel.

After early success in League of Legends, Cloud9 expanded into other esports. In December 2013, the organization entered Smite esports. In 2014, Cloud9 added teams for Dota 2, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Hearthstone, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Heroes of the Storm, and Halo. The Smite division was closed in 2014 due to internal issues but reopened in January 2015. By 2015 and 2016, Cloud9 added teams for Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Vainglory, a touchscreen game. In September 2016, the organization became Cloud9 Esports, Inc.

By March 2017, Cloud9 had ten teams across multiple games and over one million fans who watched players for 15 million hours. That month, the company received $28 million in funding led by Founders Fund, with other investors including Craft Ventures, Chamath Palihapitiya, Alexis Ohanian, and Hunter Pence. In July 2017, Cloud9 started a Rocket League team. The next month, Activision Blizzard announced Cloud9 had bought a London-based franchise for the Overwatch League (OWL). To meet OWL rules, Cloud9 created a subsidiary named London Spitfire. In November 2017, Riot Games gave Cloud9 a League of Legends Championship Series franchise for $10 million, making it the company’s second owned team.

In June 2018, Cloud9 signed a major deal with Red Bull, which included putting the Red Bull logo on team jerseys. Later that year, the company received $50 million in funding led by Valor Equity Partners, with other investors including TrueBridge Capital Partners, Reimagined Ventures, and Robert Hohman. This funding was used to build a 20,000–30,000 square foot headquarters and training facility in Los Angeles, expected to open by late 2019. After the investment, Forbes ranked Cloud9 as the world’s most valuable esports company, valued at $310 million.

In 2018, Cloud9 achieved top-level success in Counter-Strike, Rocket League, Overwatch, and League of Legends. Jack Etienne was named Game Shakers’ Shaker of the Year in December 2018 for his impact on esports. That year, Cloud9 also signed deals with Puma, AT&T, and BMW, which were their first esports sponsorships. During this time, Cloud9 started an Apex Legends team.

In November 2019, Cloud9 was fined by Riot Games for breaking League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) rules. From July 2018 to November 2019, Cloud9 gave seven LCS players shares through restricted stock units, which violated a rule that banned team owners from being on the roster. Cloud9 paid $175,000 in fines and additional money to players, with total costs estimated between $330,000 and $605,000. Forbes ranked Cloud9 as the world’s most valuable esports company in 2019, valued at $400 million.

In February 2020, Cloud9 joined other organizations to create Flashpoint, the first professional esports league owned by teams. The next month, Cloud9 returned to Dota 2 after a three-year break. In April 2020, Cloud9 started a Valorant team, and in October, they created their first all-female Valorant team. Forbes ranked Cloud9 as the world’s second-most valuable esports company in 2020, valued at $350 million, a 13% drop from 2019. In May 2022, Forbes ranked Cloud9 fifth, valued at $380 million.

In May 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation announced 30 organizations, including Cloud9, that would join its Club Support Program. This program gives teams a one-time six-figure payment if they enter new esports and additional funding if they grow viewership and fan engagement for the Esports World Cup.

In February 2025, Cloud9 left Counter-Strike 2 and returned to Rainbow Six Siege. In June, Cloud9 denied rumors of a return to Counter-Strike.

Divisions

Cloud9 was officially formed in 2013 when Jack Etienne bought the contracts of all Quantic Gaming's League of Legends players. The team started with players named Balls, Meteos, Hai, Sneaky, and LemonNation. During the 2013 NA LCS Summer Split regular season, Cloud9 won 13 games in a row, which was the longest winning streak in LCS history at that time. After finishing first in the Summer Split Playoffs, Cloud9 beat the defending champions, Team SoloMid, 3 games to 0, in the finals on September 1. This was their first LCS title. They ended the season with a 30–3 record, the best winning percentage in LCS history at 90.9%.

In the 2014 NA LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 won 13 games in a row again, matching their previous record. They earned the top seed in the playoffs and won their second LCS title by defeating Team SoloMid 3–0 in the finals on April 20. After winning 5 games in the playoffs, Cloud9 extended their winning streak to 18 games and went undefeated in two consecutive playoffs. Cloud9 reached the LCS finals in the 2014 NA LCS Summer Split and 2015 NA LCS Spring Split, but lost to Team SoloMid each time. In May 2015, Hai retired, ending Cloud9's record of having the longest-standing lineup in professional League of Legends history.

In the 2015 NA LCS Summer Split, Cloud9 finished with a 6–12 record, their worst regular season performance ever, and missed the LCS playoffs for the first time. In the 2016 NA LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 lost to Team SoloMid in the quarterfinals, 1–3. In the 2016 NA LCS Summer Split, Cloud9's Jensen set an LCS record with 20 kills in a single game during the quarterfinals against Team EnVyUs. They later lost to Team SoloMid in the finals. In the 2017 NA LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 faced Team SoloMid in the finals for the sixth time and lost, 2–3. They lost to Team Dignitas in the 2017 NA LCS Summer Split quarterfinals. In the 2018 NA LCS Spring Split playoffs, Cloud9 was swept by Team Liquid, 0–3. They reached the 2018 NA LCS Summer Split finals but were swept by Team Liquid, 0–3.

After the 2018 NA LCS season, Cloud9 had their most successful World Championship run. They advanced past the 2018 World Championship group stage and defeated Korea's Afreeca Freecs, 3–0, in the quarterfinals. This was the first time in seven years that a North American team had reached the World Championship semifinals. In the semifinals, Cloud9 was swept by Fnatic, 0–3, ending their World Championship run.

In the 2019 LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 lost to Team SoloMid in the semifinals. They reached the 2019 LCS Summer Split finals but lost to Team Liquid, 2–3. In the 2020 LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 finished the regular season with a 17–1 record, tied for the best in LCS history. They won their third LCS title on April 19, 2020, by defeating FlyQuest, 3–0, in the finals. This was their first LCS title since 2014. With a 26–2 record, including playoffs, Cloud9 set an LCS record for the highest winning percentage by a North American team at 92.9%, breaking their own previous record of 90.9% from the 2013 Summer Split. Losses to FlyQuest and Team SoloMid in the 2020 Summer Split playoffs eliminated Cloud9 from the LCS playoffs and prevented them from qualifying for the 2020 World Championship, the first time in the organization's history that they did not attend the World Championship.

On September 14, 2020, Cloud9 parted ways with head coach Bok "Reapered" Hangyu, who had been with the team for four years. They promoted Cloud9's academy team coach, Kim "Reignover" Yeu-jin, as their new head coach.

In the 2021 LCS Spring Split, Cloud9 entered the playoffs as the top seed with a 13–5 record. They defeated Team Liquid in the finals, 3–2, and earned their fourth LCS title. At the 2021 Mid-Season Invitational, they failed to advance to the knockout stage. In the 2021 LCS Summer Split playoffs, Cloud9 defeated Team SoloMid, 3–2, to qualify for the 2021 League of Legends World Championship. However, they lost their next match to 100 Thieves. At the World Championship, Cloud9 advanced to the quarterfinals, becoming the first North American team to make it past the group stage since the 2018 Cloud9 team reached the semifinals. They lost in the quarterfinals to Gen.G, 0–3.

On June 26, 2014, Cloud9 announced the formation of their Hearthstone division after acquiring team DogeHouse. Players joined the team, including Marcin "Gnimsh" Filipowicz, Cong "StrifeCro" Shu, Rumay "Hafu" Wang, Alexandr "Kolento" Malsh, and Jan "Ekop" Palys, with Gnimsh as team captain. Later that year, Andrew "TidesofTime" Biessener joined. Kolento won the team's first major tournament, the Viagame House Cup #1, in October 2014. He also won the DreamHack Hearthstone Championship the following month. In 2015, Kolento won the Hearthstone World Championship. In 2016, StrifeCro won the Hearthstone World Championship. In 2017, StrifeCro won the Hearthstone World Championship again. In 2018, StrifeCro won the Hearthstone World Championship for the third time. In 2019, StrifeCro won the Hearthstone World Championship for the fourth time. In 2020, StrifeCro won the Hearthstone World Championship for the fifth time.

Cloud9 also expanded into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. In 201

Former divisions

Cloud9 created its Overwatch team in March 2016 after signing a team called "google me." The team won several local tournaments in April and May, including the One Nation of Gamers Overwatch Invitational, Overkill, and the Alienware Monthly Melee. Their first major tournament after Overwatch was released was the Agents Rising event, which they won by defeating Team Liquid in the finals.

After winning Agents Rising, Cloud9 finished second in the June Alienware Monthly and Operation Breakout tournaments, both times losing to Team EnVyUs in the finals. In June, they placed fourth at the OG Invitational after losing to Northern Gaming in the third-place match. Later, the team earned spots in the Beyond the Summit (BTS) Overwatch Cup, Overwatch Open, and 2016 ESL Overwatch Atlantic Showdown. At BTS, they finished second after losing to Team EnVyUs in the finals. They also lost to Team EnVyUs in the semifinals of the Overwatch Open and did not advance past the group stage at the Atlantic Showdown.

Cloud9 was one of four Western teams invited to compete in South Korea's OGN Overwatch APEX Season 2, which started in January 2017. They were eliminated after losing to a South Korean team, KongDoo Uncia, in the group stage on February 28.

Cloud9 did not qualify for Overwatch Contenders North America Season 1. Later, they acquired the roster of a team called Laser Kittenz and formed their European team, Cloud9 EU, for Overwatch Contenders Europe Season 1. In September 2017, they created a third team by acquiring a South Korean team, KongDoo Panthera, and named it Cloud9 KongDoo. Cloud9 EU reached the playoffs in Contenders Europe Season 1 but lost to Misfits Gaming in the semifinals on October 7. Meanwhile, Cloud9 KongDoo competed in OGN Overwatch APEX Season 4 and finished third after defeating NC Foxes on October 17.

On August 10, 2017, Activision Blizzard announced that Cloud9 had bought a franchise slot for the Overwatch League (OWL) in London for $20 million. To meet OWL rules, Cloud9 created a separate team called London Spitfire. On November 9, they revealed their 12-player roster, combining members from Cloud9 KongDoo and GC Busan, the champions of OGN Overwatch APEX Season 4. In February 2018, Cloud9 announced that their European Overwatch Contenders team would be named British Hurricane.

In the 2018 season, London Spitfire became the first-ever stage playoffs champions by defeating New York Excelsior in the 2018 Stage 1 playoffs. In March, the team parted ways with their head coach, Lee "Bishop" Beom-joon, for unknown reasons. They qualified for the Stage 2 playoffs but lost to Philadelphia Fusion in the semifinals. London did not qualify for the Stage 3 and Stage 4 playoffs and finished the regular season with a 24–16 record, earning the fifth seed in the 2018 Overwatch League playoffs. In the playoffs, they defeated Los Angeles Gladiators in the quarterfinals (2–1) and advanced to the semifinals. They won both games against Los Angeles Valiant in the semifinals and reached the 2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals. London faced Philadelphia Fusion in the Grand Finals on July 27 and 28. In a best-of-three series, London won the first two matches (3–1 and 3–0) to claim the inaugural Overwatch League title.

In 2019, London Spitfire failed to qualify for the Stage 1 playoffs. They qualified for the Stage 2 playoffs but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Hangzhou Spark. The team parted ways with their head coach, Kwang-bok "Coach815" Kim, during Stage 3, leaving them without a head coach. London did not qualify for the Stage 3 playoffs and finished the regular season with a 16–12 record, qualifying for the 2019 play-in tournament. They defeated Shanghai Dragons in the play-in tournament with a score of 4–3 in an eight-map series, setting an OWL record, and advanced to the 2019 playoffs. In the first round, London lost to New York Excelsior (1–4) and moved to the lower bracket. A 0–4 loss to San Francisco Shock ended their 2019 playoff run.

On June 11, 2024, Cloud9 announced they had joined Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports by signing North America's representatives for the 2024 Mid Season Cup (formerly BloodThirstyKings) and 2024 Women's Invitational (formerly Reignfall), both held at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia. The female team disbanded after the Women's Invitational, and the male team disbanded on October 26, shortly after being reverse swept by BloodThirstyKings in the NACT Summer Grand Final. This prevented Cloud9 from qualifying for the M6 tournament.

Cloud9 entered the Super Smash Bros. scene in May 2014 by signing Joseph "Mang0" Manuel Marquez for Super Smash Bros. Melee. Mang0's first tournament under Cloud9 was Get On My Level 2014 in Toronto, where he won first place. In June 2014, he finished first and second at MLG Anaheim 2014 and CEO 2014, respectively, facing Armada in both Grand Finals. The following month, Mang0 won his second consecutive Evolution Championship Series (Evo) title by defeating Hungrybox in the 2014 Grand Finals. In October 2014, he won The Big House 4 after defeating Mew2King in the finals. In 2015, Mang0 placed fourth at Apex 2015 and third at CEO 2015. At Evo 2015, he lost to Hungrybox in the lower bracket semifinals. At The Big House 5, he finished fourth after losing to Mew2King.

In January 2016, Mang0 competed at GENESIS 3, where he lost to Armada in the finals. In February 2016, he finished second at PAX Arena after losing to Hungrybox in the finals. In May 2016, he won his first major tournament of the year at DreamHack Austin by defeating Hungrybox in the finals. That same month, he finished second at Get On My Level 2016 after losing to Leffen in the finals. In July 2016, Mang0 placed fourth at Evo 2016 after losing to Hungrybox in the lower bracket semifinals. In August 2016, he won Super Smash Con 2016 after defeating Hungrybox in the finals.

In August 2016, Cloud9 added Elliot "Ally" Bastien Carroza-Oyarce for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Smash 4). Mang0 and Ally both competed at The Big House 6 in October 2016. Ally withdrew from the Smash 4 tournament due to health concerns after falling to the lower bracket. Mang0 won his second The Big House title under Cloud9 by defeating