GankStars

GankStars emerged in early 2015 as a North American esports organization, initially gaining prominence in the mobile gaming scene. The company was co-founded by Alex "PwntByUkrainian" Novosad, who also served as team manager, alongside Mari 'Sphix' Yanez and Hamza 'IraqiZorro' Najim. Novosad, an iOS engineer by background, steered the organization's growth from a guild of players into a competitive esports entity. The organization's journey began with the mobile MOBA game *Vainglory*, where they quickly established themselves by winning the first Vainglory International Premier League in Korea.

The business operated by fielding professional teams across various video game titles. Revenue was primarily generated through tournament winnings, sponsorships, and early explorations into merchandising and offering paid coaching sessions with top players. A significant achievement was securing a championship title in *Critical Ops* and expanding into the PC gaming market by acquiring rosters for games like *Paladins*, *H1Z1*, and *Fortnite*. At its peak, GankStars managed a World Champion team in *Critical Ops*, a top challenger team in *Paladins*, and a franchised team in the H1PL (*H1Z1* Pro League).

GankStars distinguished itself by focusing on the nascent mobile esports market before expanding. The organization was player-centric, with a stated goal of creating more stable income streams for its players beyond prize money, offering good contracts and fair distribution of winnings. However, the organization faced financial challenges. By early 2016, the investment into their primary game, *Vainglory*, began to exceed the returns, with over $150,000 reinvested into player salaries. A pivotal moment came in March 2018 when GankStars was not accepted into the *Vainglory* franchise program for that year, leading to the difficult decision to pull out of the game that launched their fame. The organization eventually disbanded its various rosters, with the *PUBG Mobile* team dissolving in December 2018 and the *Critical Ops* team in March 2022.

Keywords: GankStars, esports organization, mobile esports, Vainglory, Critical Ops, Paladins, H1Z1 Pro League, Alex Novosad, PwntByUkrainian, professional gaming, North American esports, Vainglory International Premier League, esports team management, player contracts, tournament winnings, gaming sponsorships, Vainglory community, mobile gaming history, esports milestones