(Originally published April 16, 2025)

What are you?

Founded in 2017, it's been over 8 years since the oddly named FlyQuest sprouted onto the scene. 

The  name was confusing; the wings enabling it to ‘fly’ were subtle at best,  and the decision to include ‘quest’ seemed to be due to the term’s  tangential relation to task-giving in video games. 

The only quest that remained was trying to figure out who this team's target demographic was. 

Initially  sporting a logo resembling the alphabet Pokémon - Unown - FlyQuest  fumbled their way through the first four years of their identity  competing in the North American League of Legends Championship Series.

Nobody likes you

In  their formative years, their odd branding drew the ire from the  community and prolific figures alike, with Montecristo lamenting:

“FlyQuest  has to be one of the worst names for an eSports team. Why do all these  new investors brand so poorly?” - Christopher ‘Montecristo’ Mykles Jan  5, 2017 https://x.com/MonteCristo/status/816812742950518784

The team purchased an LCS slot from Cloud 9’s challenger team that had earned a spot via the LCS’ Promotion tournament. 

Their ownership was originally comprised of the Milwaukee Bucks owner Wesley Edens and Fortress Investment group.

Despite  their poorly received launch, FlyQuest's first effort in the NA LCS  went exceedingly well; they reached playoffs in their inaugural split,  finishing 4th in spring after a narrow first round win against Counter  Logic Gaming.

This was followed by a semi-final loss to Team Solo Mid. 

Finally, they succumbed to Phoenix1 in the third place match.

The  rest of their year fit the tone their branding initially set; they  finished 7th in the summer split, missing playoffs, and ending their  first foray into the LCS.

Time for change

November 21st, 2017, FlyQuest found some breathing room to give their  logo a much needed change, now a simple 'F' superimposed over a 'Q'. 

The name was still strange; their lack of identity lent itself to being called the 'snickers team' due to their major sponsor, Snickers, being featured in their branding.

Nonetheless, the change was welcomed as the team finally had an identity, albeit shallow. 

Enter Tricia Sugita

Along with the update was a new member of the C-Suite, with Tricia Sugita helming operations at FlyQuest as COO. 

Tricia would spend the next two years in the role as FlyQuest slowly became a more competitive team.

More Middling Results

Management cleaned house, with all but one player on the previous roster remaining, that player being WildTurtle. 

The change, however, did not garner better results, with FlyQuest placing 8th in the 2018 spring split. 

Another  near-complete roster change saw only two members of the spring split  team remaining, which netted the team a better finish. 

The Snickers team made playoffs, but failed to win a series, ending their 2018 season. 

The  2019 season was no kinder; FlyQuest had a top four finish in spring,  only to flounder come summertime, finishing 8th; once again they would  be missing out on placement in the World Championship.

Sugita Becomes CEO

In January of 2020, Sugita was named as the new Chief Executive Officer of FlyQuest. 

With  new leadership, came branding adaptations; shedding the 'Snickers Team'  moniker that had stuck to them, FlyQuest announced their "Tree-Quest" initiative; for every in game objective they secured, Flyquest would plant a tree. 

The initiative was met with positive reception, planting FlyQuest's identity as the 'Green team'. 

From Zero to Hero

To  complement their new identity, FlyQuest posted back-to-back grand final  finishes in the LCS, making them a competitor in the league after being  written off as a perennial under-performer. 

Accompanying their  success, FlyQuest further capitalised on their green branding by  releasing commemorative World Championship jerseys with flowery, organic  accents that complimented their once mocked logo. 

This led to praise from their once-detractors:

“Congrats  to FlyQuest for their turnaround in 2020. They have gone from a  branding disaster and competitive mess to having a fun theme and  consistent performances. This is the best I have seen Santorin play and  PoE is a rock, as always. Good job @megumixbear and @Swaguhsaurus” -  Christopher ‘Montecristo’ Mykles 19 Apr 2020 

Maybe back to Zero for a little bit

FlyQuest's  next year in the LCS appeared to have reverted them back to languishing  in the bottom 3; finishing in 8th place in the Spring split and 9th  place in the Summer split.

 Their addition of  "Josedeodo"  was one of renown; they planned to further build on their growing  fanbase by importing the beloved LLA jungler to try and pivot their  brand to house South American fans. 

While the plan didn't  work, it was lauded as an intelligent way to try and grow interest in  the LCS by leveraging a popular player from another region.

(Another) Rebrand!

To further cement their reputation as the eco-friendly brand they had  become, FlyQuest once again changed their logo; they adopted a green  leaf accent on the 'Q' in FlyQuest, doubling as a logo for the team. 

Irrespective  of their dismal summer finish, FlyQuest had done a lot to curry favour  for themselves despite their humble beginnings. 

Farewell Tricia

Halfway through 2022, on June 14th Tricia Sugita departed FlyQuest as CEO, taking on the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Cloud9. 

Tricia left her mark on FlyQuest - from bespoke Animal Crossing celebrating earth day  to turning around what was widely considered one of the worst  intellectual properties in esports, into one of the lasting, appreciated  organisations in the space.

Accompanying the evolution of the organisation’s leadership, was a change in ownership; the Bucks sold the team to the stakeholders of the Florida Panthers: The Viola Family

Continued Success in Tricia’s stead

Further prescience was on display following Tricia’s departure, with FlyQuest’s new CEO Michael Choi making the decision to hire former 100 Thieves GM Christopher ‘PapaSmithy’ Smith. 

Smith  was the driving force behind 100 Thieves dominant core roster, and a  big proponent of their current successful roster with their core of  Bwipo, Inspired, and Massu who brought them a Summer LCS title in 2024. 

Compounding on their 2024 success, FlyQuest brought 2024 World Championship favourites, GenG, to 5 games, ultimately losing the series. 

Current Status and Onward

Today, FlyQuest stand as a household brand in not only the LoL The Americas Championship, but the wider esports space. 

They boast a Major qualifying CS2 roster and a beloved LTA team with a seasoned list to boot. 

Initially  considered an inevitable casualty of esports, FlyQuest have weathered  their unstable start to find greener grass on the other side.