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The esports industry has grown considerably over the past few years. With the addition of titles like Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant, many gamers have made their careers in this industry. Not only that, but this growth has also fueled the rise of many esports organizations worldwide. Not only do these organizations help grow the industry even more, but they’re also responsible for providing people with an alternative career option.
M80 is an organization that’s based in the United States. The organization is new to the scene but has already started creating waves ever since they’ve established a foothold in the industry. M80 currently has active rosters in Valorant, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six. Adarsh J Kumar of Sportskeeda Esports reached out to Nate Schanker, the co-owner of M80 Esports, and spoke to him about the industry, his role, and the organization's growth.
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M80 Nate talks about their Valorant roster and his journey in the world of professional esports
Q. Let's start by talking about how you began your esports journey. What got you into esports In the first place?
Nate: Okay, so my back door neighbor, I found out that he was a pro-Fortnite player because of a Snapchat story I saw where he won a $60,000 tournament. And I had no idea what esports was at the time. I contacted him and told him my skills in social media and marketing. And I told him I would help him for free, just to grow his brand.
So I started working with him for free. And then I started working with his friends. I started networking, basically, with his friends and bigger streamers. I started charging them a set amount every month, so I started making money at a young age. Then I got connected with TenZ, one of the biggest Valorant streamers. I started working with him and kind of got a big name in Valorant.
Then I finally got signed to a gaming organization called XSET as the head of social. I was there for about two and a half years running social media. I recently left XSET about eight months ago, and then I co-founded a brand new esports org with the COO of XSET, which is where I am today.
Q. Talking about M80, what inspired you to co-found this organization? And what was your vision for M80 when you started?
Nate: Yeah, so we are basically getting into the gaming scene while a lot of organizations are getting out, doing layoffs and stuff like that. So, we wanted to create an org that went about everything the right way that focused on the community and the players. Definitely, our biggest thing with M80 is to highlight our talent and make sure that they are supported during their esports journey so that they can play at their best level.
One of the biggest things that we stand for is community and inclusivity. So, we're looking to sign a bunch of female creators and just go about everything the right way. Marco (Co-founder, M80) has been in the industry for a while, and the same with me. We've seen organizations leaving and realized that if we started our own, we think we could make a difference.
Q. You spent over two years in XSET. What are some of the things you learned from the organization that you were able to incorporate into M80?
Nate: Yeah, I guess just right back to it is how important community is within an organization. If you create diehard fans, it's hard to have an organization fail. If you have diehard fans and you lose games, they're still going to support you. So the big thing is having cool things for the fans, fan involvement, just us really building that out. How big the community is is extremely important. And that's what I learned with XSET.
When I first joined, I didn't realize how big that was. But to build that out with XSET and actually creating people that are just followers to actual fans that buy merch, watch all the streams, show support on social, that's what I'm making sure that we're doing at M80 right now.
Q. How do you manage your day-to-day operations at M80, and what challenges do you often face while running the organization?
Nate: So, as a co-founder of a brand-new org and as a co-owner, you're wearing a lot of hats. You're doing a lot of things from partnerships, sales, marketing, basically everything. Since we are a brand-new org, you kind of have to do that. There isn't a set thing that I'm doing every day. It kind of varies depending on what's thrown at me. Also, we're trying to grow this thing as fast as possible but also in the right way. And so, by doing that, I'm doing a bunch of things. Day to day, it really varies.
Q. M80 only has teams in Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and Rocket League, and you also have a player in Street Fighter. Which are the esports titles you’re interested in getting into and why?
Nate: I'm personally looking into Women Car Ball, which is like basically the Valorant Game Changers-like league for Rocket League. So I'm looking at that. Also, potentially CS:GO.
Q. Valorant was the first esports M80 set foot into. What drove you guys to make the decision, and how effective has it been so far? How has it influenced your ventures into other esports titles?
Nate: Valorant is, I think, social media-wise and everything, one of the hottest esports right now.
So having a team like the one we created, with how good these players are - we have players from Ghost Gaming, and then we have Zander who was on Version1, so building this team that the community already knows, and these guys are big figures in the community, great guys - it definitely helped boost our brand to be like an already recognizable organization quickly once we launched with them. So it was about getting into other games, too, because it just made it a lot easier to build fans because of our Valorant team.
Q. M80's Valorant team has been excellent since the start of the season. After winning the first Split of the NA Challengers League and the Mid-Season Face-Off, you guys are favorites to represent NA in the Ascension tournament. What do you think about your chance of qualifying, and how exciting would be the prospects of entering the Valorant Champions Tour Americas League?
Nate: Oh, man. It would be amazing if we made the Valorant franchise league. I really think we can do it. Our players are grinding day in and day out. So it would mean so much to the org, not only for the hype but also bringing in new sponsors for us because we would be at a tier-1 level.
Q. Looking ahead, what are your prior priorities for M80? And how do you see the org evolving in the next few years?
Nate: Our number one priority is building a tight-knit community of gamers who love the rush of competitive gaming and esports. We want to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome when they come together to compete and have a good time.
Looking ahead, I see M80 becoming a real heavyweight in the gaming industry. We are all about inclusivity and diversity, making sure that everyone's got a chance to show off their skills and get involved. We'll be growing our community, reaching more players, and creating even more opportunities for gamers to get in on the action.
