The Stars Align
There’s nothing to be afraid of for Cincinnati Fear!
Cincinnati Fear, the Queen City's professional esports team, started their Summer season this week, playing in the North American Challengers League (NACL) for League of Legends. The Fear enters the season with a new roster and a new partnership with Starforge System.
Cincinnati Fear is entering its fourth season in the NACL with arguably its strongest lineup yet. The roster consists of five former-LCS members in Philip Zeng, Lawrence Lin Xiu, Nicholas Abbott, and Kim Dong-Keon, and Tony Ng. All five are looking to make a name for themselves for this upcoming season and make an impression on LCS organizations watching.
Tim David, Cincinnati Fear general manager
“This new Fear lineup brings experience from the highest level of League of Legends competition,” says Tim David, Cincinnati Fear general manager. “All five have previously played in the League Championship Series, and are looking to show they still have what it takes to perform at that level. We also have a returning player for his second year with us, Philip, and it's rare for a player to stick with a team longer than a year, so I am looking forward to seeing him continue to represent the Fear. “
During the NACL Summer season Cincinnati Fear will go by “Fear Starforge” representing their partnership with Starforge Systems. Starforge Systems strives to build the PCs “in the universe” and work with customers on building their dream PCs. Starforge is also backed by the OTK content creators, which holds some of the top streaming talent in Esfand, Emiru, and MoistCr1TiKaL.
Starforge Systems announced the Fear partnership on social media earlier this month, saying “We're not looking to slap a logo on some jerseys and call it a day, because that's simply not how we operate. We're excited to be providing powerful PCs (The best in the universe, some would say) for the players to practice on so they can avoid tech issues. We are also working on planning content in conjunction with our parent company, OTK Network, to introduce this team to new audiences. The NACL is about the players and teams having the opportunity for growth, and we want to help with that.”
“The Starforge Systems is not only our first partnership, but also one that comes with a lot of social influence backing” says David. “Starforge Systems work alongside the OTK Network, a group of content creators that have over 22 million followers combined, which includes Emiru, Sodapoppin, Asmongold, and Mizkif to name a few. This is one of the first-of-its-kind partnerships in the NACL and we're excited to be working alongside them!”
Cincinnati Fear was founded in 2022 as Cincinnati’s fourth professional sports team, competing in esports with players representing the Queen City. Professional, collegiate and high school players of Cincinnati Fear will compete in tournaments and live events with titles such as League of Legends and Super Smash Brothers, among other titles to be added in the fall.
“We have one of the strongest rosters that has ever played in this league, with players who have fun play styles and strong personalities,” says David. “Going into most seasons, I keep expectations tame, but this time around we want to win it all. They're working hard and it's going to be a fun season.”
All Cincinnati Fear games can be watched live starting at Twitch.TV/NACL.