While the esports industry has experienced a massive boom in the last few years, organized competitive gaming has existed for decades. Organizations were signing players and competing in tournaments long before there were franchised leagues or million-dollar tournaments, slowly growing alongside a niche industry. One such organization is compLexity Gaming , founded 15 years ago by CEO Jason Lake.

After years of independent operation, compLexity received a unique opportunity to accelerate its growth. In November 2017, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and investor John Goff acquired a majority share in the esports organization. Since then, the company has centralized its operations in Dallas, Texas and is in the process of building an 11K square foot headquarters. Lake spoke with The Esports Observer about his organization’s relocation and the advantages of integrating with one of the largest sports brands in the U.S.

“About two and a half years ago, when there was a tsunami of investor cash that flooded the scene,” Lake said, “it quickly became apparent to me that, in order to compete at any level, we were going to need a big brother—a partner with deeper pockets.”

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”It was important to me to align with a professional group that understood the sports media business at a very high level. When it comes to that category, there’s no one better than the Dallas Cowboys.”[/perfectpullquote]

Lake explained that, with the influx of investor capital into the industry, player salaries and operational costs for all organizations had grown exponentially. An organization could not continue to operate independently and hope to compete at the highest level. “At that time, I started doing a lot of due diligence and a lot of research to see who that partner would be,” he said.

Rather than work with multiple venture capital firms, as organizations like Team SoloMid Splyce, and NRG Esports have done, Lake felt that aligning his brand with Jones and Goff would be ideal due to their experience with traditional sports.

“We have access to their training table, where our players can have nutritious meals alongside Cowboys players. We have access to professional medical facilities should we need them for both preventative care and treatment after any type of injury,” said Lake. “We have access to how they properly bring up new recruits and educate them into the system. We have access to their sales team and things like this. It was important to me to align with a professional group that understood the sports media business at a very high level. When it comes to that category, there’s no one better than the Dallas Cowboys.”

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To fully take advantage of the Cowboys’ resources, Lake had to move all of his staff and players to Frisco, Texas, a city near Dallas. The company had previously operated largely online with players, managers, and operational staff based all over the world. “So moving all these people here, all these players here, setting up nearly 20 corporate apartments, getting temporary office space…has been a pretty daunting task,” he said.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The first third of our office space is going to be devoted to an area where fans can come in and sit down and play in our sponsored rigs and watch esports on a gigantic screen and buy our merch.”[/perfectpullquote]

Since joining the Cowboys organization, compLexity has continued to expand its organization, joining the North American Clash Royale League, signing a Madden player, and adding several Fortnite players to its roster. Lake said that his approach to entering new games has evolved with the ability to access Twitch viewership data and that he values a developer’s willingness to work with esports organizations.

“If I have a developer that’s sitting down at the table and asking my opinion and willing to do some revenue share in-game and help build their title together, I’m more liable to invest my assets and resources into that game than a game that just completely ignores the teams.”

To that end, Lake noted that compLexity is “keeping a close eye on” franchised league opportunities like the Overwatch League and the League of Legends Championship Series.

Like the organizations of the Overwatch League, compLexity’s relocation to Texas has presented it with the opportunity to build a local fanbase, something which Lake feels can be leveraged through the organization’s soon-to-be-built headquarters.

“Unlike some teams that have built really nice headquarters that are hidden in industrial areas behind chain link fences,” he said, “ours is right in a very public space at the Star here in Frisco, Texas. The first third of our office space is going to be devoted to an area where fans can come in and sit down and play in our sponsored rigs and watch esports on a gigantic screen and buy our merch.”

While Lake believes that esports will always appeal to a global audience, he noted that “there’s something core to our humanity that likes to sit in the same room and support and cheer for a team that is regionally located in your area.”

While every esports organization is likely to develop international fans due to the online nature of most games, Lake believes that having a “local touch point” will naturally build a regional affiliation.

Lake values creating a connection between his organization and its fanbase. The compLexity POV video series gives fans a unique look behind the scenes at the internal operations of the company, including contract negotiations and owners meetings. Lake said that this series was a product of an intentional decision to increase the organization’s level of transparency.

“I’m hoping by pulling back the curtain a little bit that they’re going to see the people involved in the organization. They’re going to empathize with the struggles involved in the organization, and hopefully become long-term fans because they see the vision of what we’re trying to do, they see the dream we’re trying to build, and they come along for the ride.”

A long time veteran of the esports industry, Lake has retained the passion of a young gamer chasing the esports dream.

“I’m all-in with Complexity. I give 110% each and every day. I’m willing to put my face forward, my family forward, and do whatever I can to make this project successful. It’s my dream, it’s my passion. I just don’t know any other way to go about doing things than full throttle.”

On September 28, Jason Lake will be joined by two other team owners to break down the business models behind professional esports organizations. This will be just one of six panels at RSR Partners x HIVE New York: get your tickets today!