Pittsburgh, PA (January 23, 2020) – The Pittsburgh Knights are pleased to announce they will be competing in the Gears 5 Pro League this year. Their lineup consists of Daniel “Identivez” Santillana, Hector “Dezonide” Compean, Carlos “Monkyz” Mingues, Rogelio “Sleeafer” Rojo, Reynaldo “ChaoZ” Tosado, and coach Carlos “Demize” Betencourt – all formerly of Ghost Gaming.
Gears 5 is the 6th installment of the Gears of War video game franchise and is produced by game developer The Coalition. In September of 2019, the newly released installment dethroned Fortnite as the most played game on Xbox one, illustrating the long-running title’s enduring popularity. The current Pro League season features over $2million in prize pools.
The Knights current lineup hail from Latin America and have been playing together since Gears of War 3. Identivez, who won the Gears of War 4 Las Vegas Open in 2018, is a hugely popular player in the scene and has been labeled by his fans as the “King of Latam”. Teammate Dezonide has been playing video games his whole life and brings passion and leadership to the team. He is also one of the most winning players for Gears regional events.
Monkyz is described by coach Demize as, “arguably the most clutch player Gears as ever seen”, as evidenced by his placing inside the top 3 in three consecutive events. Sleeafer is a team player who is primarily known for his Markza rifle skills, earning him the title of “best Markza” player in the game. Monkyz is looking forward to playing as a Knight and says he is “really motivated and excited for the future”. Sleeafer adds that the team is “ready to show Pittsburgh what we’re made of.”
“This team has a hunger and a thirst to become the best team in Gears”, says Knights’ esports consultant Garett Bambrough. “They’re going to be exciting to watch this year”.
ChaoZ rounds out the team with his unique, methodical playstyle. Always eager to work and learn, he helps his team stay focused and centered. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a while”, he says about joining the Knights. “This new change will fuel our fire. We’re coming stronger than ever for that trophy”.
In 2019, the Knights partnered with Mexican media and entertainment fund MX LATAM, whose investors include the Alazraki family. The intention behind this partnership was to branch out into the Latin American sports and entertainment space and work to develop the region’s rapidly burgeoning esports scene. Knights’ president James O’Connor sees a bright future for the Gears 5 team. “During my recent tour of Mexico with our partners, we met with some major sports franchises and discussed the next steps to expand our joint ventures”,” he explains. “I”m excited to announce this Latin American roster as we develop more plans to collaborate”.
Watch this new Knights roster compete in the Winter Quarter of the Gears 5 Pro League next Monday the 27th at 7pm EST on Twitch.
