A brand new year, decade, and the beginning of a lasting legacy.
Late in the last decade, a small group of people began to brainstorm, plan, and slowly build a brand new identity for the Sin City. New logos were drawn up and marketing campaigns were meticulously crafted with major plans laid ahead. The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri was quoted and spread all across social media platforms, hinting at what was to come in the following days. And on January 6th, there was a spark. This spark ignited a blaze, marking the beginning of the Las Vegas Inferno.
This would be the beginning of something that was much more than another organization or brand entering the esports scene. The launch of the Las Vegas Inferno was the beginning of an identity of both the LVI members and the Entertainment Capital of the World. An identity which instilled pride and looked towards a bright future.
The new decade brought with it the unveiling of more plans that had been in the works just as long, if not longer, than the creation of the Inferno Identity. Only days after the launch, a partnership with the premiere venue for esports competition was begun with the HyperX Esports Arena, located within the Luxor Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas Blvd. This partnership included Inferno merchandise being placed in the window on the casino floor, which would be passed by thousands of visitors each day. Then, only days later, LVI made their physical debut at the arena at the 51st Saturday Night Speedway event.
More additions and announcements followed close behind, with the first entrances of the Inferno into competitive scenes––League of Legends, Fortnite, and Call of Duty. With these squads, events such as the Level Up Expo and ESA Call of Duty Tournaments ended with championship victories for the hometown team, cementing the Inferno Identity into not only the Las Vegas esports scene, but statewide, nationwide, and international ones as well, all before the end of March.
2020 proved to be a year for the history books, filled to the brim with events that changed the way everyone on earth lived their lives. Much was lost, from enjoyment of sporting events, concerts, tournaments, all the way to even small moments from day to day. Yet one industry thrived where others were being slowed and stopped. When everything stopped, esports continued and blossomed, taking over major spots in mainstream media that were left empty with cancellations. With this, the spotlight shone brighter and hotter for the Las Vegas Inferno.
For the first event during the worldwide pandemic, the Warzone Bonfire tournament showcased the Call of Duty talents of Inferno members not on the competitive roster, from streamers to staff. Most notably, the winning team was comprised entirely of members from the stream team, including Coach Cie and Captain Beanie. The next Bonfire tournaments would be waged, not in Verdansk, but rather on Skeld, Mira, and Polus. Both events, just like the first Bonfire event, were streamed on the Inferno Twitch channel. The last Bonfire of the year would also take place in a different game, this time in Mariokart 8, again on the LVI Twitch.
The Inferno continued this pattern of tournaments later on in the year, this time for the purpose of charity, with Pusoko, Hidden Fox, and DJ Joe Green participating in the Wounded Warrior Project Play Stream to Serve Apex Legends Tournament. The squad placed 11th and raised $170 for the WWP in the mid-July event. Two more major charity events would later take place, first with DJ Joe Green’s Virtual Dance Party for the American Cancer Society, which raised over $100 for the charity and brought back the much-missed energy of a Vegas Golden Knights game. Then, a month later, the Inferno, teaming up with Liquid Death and the American Cancer, held a Fall Guys Crown Race tournament on the LVI Twitch channel. This tournament did not only feature members of the Las Vegas team, but also fans and followers, with prizes available for both a victory in the event and for certain donation goals. The Crown Race event amassed a total $290 for the ACS over the course of the tournament.
The tournaments and charity events, while being major highlights of the second half of the year for the Inferno, were matched by larger highlights on the esports front, with new additions. The first of which was the entrance into the Rocket League scene with the signing of a roster which had already been competing on the highest level among teams like SSG, Susquehanna, and Rogue. The team would compete under the Inferno brand in events such as the Allied Esports Combustion Series and Bandits on Wheels tournaments. This major addition would later be followed up with another roster in a game the Inferno had not been a part of previously–Valorant. This roster, however, would be built from the ground up, quickly making the LVI identity known in the Valorant scene with T32 and T8 placements almost immediately after the team’s formation. The final major esports addition (or re-entry) would be in the Call of Duty scene. As the competitive CoD scene looked forward to the release of the newest entry in the franchise, Black Ops: Cold War, so did the Las Vegas Inferno. Some members of the previous LVI roster returned, joined by new additions, all looking to dominate the game. The squad competed in numerous tournaments upon launch, finding moderate successes, leading to a restructuring and new look for Inferno CoD leading into the new year.
The year 2020 is historic in numerous ways for the Las Vegas Inferno. Not only were the members and organization as a whole faced with adversity like the rest of the world due to the pandemic, but also faced other obstacles and changes. Yet the fire burned on, and grew further into a blaze, shining bright in a turbulent year for everyone. The Las Vegas team now looks to expand upon this growth and progress in the new year.