NRG acquired by esports organization DarkZero

The reigning VALORANT World Champions organization, NRG, has officially been acquired by DarkZero ahead of the VCT 2026 season.

This past year saw NRG reach new heights in competitive VALORANT after winning VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Valorant Champions. Now, the reigning champs will have a new owner in DarkZero, an esports organization owned by the investment firm Grey Matter Capital.

According to the announcement, a majority of the NRG staff and teams will remain the same, as wiill the NRG branding. So while DarkZero CEO Don Kim will be taking over Andy Miller’s role at NRG, the NRG staff will still remain in the organization with Miller staying as an advisor for the organization.

NRG was first created in 2016, where they made their entry into esports by acquiring a League of Legends team to compete in the LCS. Since then, the esports organization has hosted numerous teams across multiple esports titles, such as the San Francisco Shock in the now-defunct Overwatch League, Rocket League, and VALORANT. Now, the organization will be looking to maintain their place in esports for the long haul under new ownership.

What’s next for NRG in 2026?

NRG will be looking towards maintaining their spot atop VALORANT as they set their sights on the upcoming VCT 2026 season. They will have their first opportunity to test out their new lineup at VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Kickoff, starting on January 15, 2025.

For now, NRG will use the remainder of the VALORANT offseason to prepare for their upcoming season and become the first VALORANT team to win two VALORANT Champions trophies. It will be interesting to see if this Champions-winning core can maintain their success at the end of the VCT 2025 season.

Be sure to follow THESPIKE.GG for more VALORANT offseason updates like this as we head closer to the start of the VCT 2026 season.

Image via Colin Young-Wolff