Exclusive fl0m Q&A: "iBUYPOWER will be assisting in future projects, which might lead to more LANs"

Ben "benji" Bertsch of Dust2.us engaged in an exclusive Q&A with iBUYPOWER CS content creator Erik "fl0m" Flom and iBUYPOWER Marketing executive King Perez de Tagle following fl0m's Mythical LAN.

fl0m and iBUYPOWER spoke about their relationship, the success of the FML tournament, and what could lie ahead for both parties. All answers have been slightly edited for clarity.

fl0m:

First of all, congratulations on the success of fl0m’s Mythical LAN! How do you feel the tournament went?

The LAN was everything I wanted it to be. Obviously, we had our tech issues, as anyone does, but once we got the ball rolling, the team crushed it and nailed the event I envisioned in my head.

You've been with iBUYPOWER for over five years now. Can you speak to the qualities you see that entice you to stay with iBP?

iBUYPOWER as a company is very close with me, and they are one of those partners that just enable me to do cool shit and trust in what I think we can accomplish together. A lot of other companies sign you and want you to execute on their ideas. iBUYPOWER wants to support and enable me in my ideas. That is the best and most important quality with iBUYPOWER.

In what ways did iBUYPOWER assist you at FML?

Gave me a really sick-looking PC and peepos.

The true answer, besides those things which you saw on stream, they helped me with outreach, like what we are doing right now. Outreaching to different networks/publications outside of my normal social media sphere. I can’t say too much more than that, though.

Where do you see this partnership going in the future? Perhaps more LANs?

I think it’s safe to say you can trust that iBUYPOWER will be assisting in future projects, which might lead to more LANs, but nothing to talk about more than that right now.

I saw that Monster inadvertently leaked that FML will be an annual tournament, haha. Are you able to give me any hints as to what may come in future events?

I talked about it a little bit in my recap video on my YouTube. Short version, yes. Part of my renewal is that Monster baked in some really cool things that, if I choose to execute on it, would be more events in general, LAN/online otherwise. Similar to iBUYPOWER, they just want me to do cool shit and help me do it.

King Perez:

Congrats on the return to the competitive CS space! From your perspective, what were your thoughts on fl0m’s Mythical LAN?

Personally, we miss attending LANs like these... real well-produced LANs that feel grassroots, unified, and filled with endemic community support. That's what NA CS should feel like, and it's that authenticity we miss coming back to the scene.

Fl0m's been our guy for years, and we had no doubt that he and his team would bring the energy we're looking for in our comeback. Not only is he one of the most authentic voices in NA CS, but you could also almost blame him for the selling out of iBUYPOWER Peepo's every once in a while. FML was an absolute blast, would do again.

What made now the right time for iBUYPOWER to return to CS?

Simply put, iBUYPOWER's roots are firmly planted in Counter-Strike, and it's a legacy we can't ignore. The community continues to give us their support after all these years (literally as one of the top reasons why they buy PCs from us), and although you'll see our brand support all forms of competitive gaming, there's nothing quite like the Counter-Strike scene embedded into our DNA.

We wanted to be back, fl0m's team gave us a call on his event that tied in perfectly with our CES 2026 announcements, and on top of a great fl0m Mythical LAN weekend, we laid out a path for our support in 2026 and beyond.

The North American Counter-Strike scene has incredible talent, passion for the game, and some of the best fans in the world, but it is in dire need of support and resources to compete with top European teams. NA CS is in an important rebuilding phase focused on strengthening the scene and creating long-term competitiveness.

This is the right time for iBUYPOWER to step in and provide support. Access to tournaments and VRS points is critical for these teams, and that support can make a real difference in helping the scene grow and stay competitive.

What value does a creator like fl0m bring to iBP?

Vibes and authenticity. We've worked with fl0m in two ways in the past: as our primary Counter-Strike content creator and as someone we've entrusted the production of the iBUYPOWER Mythic Masters to. He's always kept it real with us (his words, "No bullshit.") and even made sure we were fully committed to contributing to the growth of NA CS before our partnership and support of FML began.

We want to show NA CS what a true endemic Gaming PC brand can bring to the table, and we also know the scene's changed a bit, so fl0m's input to our plans is much appreciated.

I saw you mention this as a kick-off point for the company’s support of NA CS. Can you elaborate on what the future may hold for iBP in CS?

We want to address Counter-Strike in a multi-faceted way and support its Fans, Creators, Tournament Organizers, Products, and Teams. We may not get to all of those categories in our kick-off year, but we assure you we're back for the long-term, so we're in a phase of let's try to support the entire scene a bit at a time with the resources we have.

I think of online and offline LAN experiences NA CS fans can be a part of (i.e., creating sweepstakes to LANs like FML or IEMs with our partner Intel or NA CS LAN exclusive side quests). For Creators, including fl0m, to host community-level tournaments or drive iBP support drops just by streaming Counter-Strike. For TOs, fl0m reminded us that VRS points matter even more now, and if our NA teams need them, we need to be talking more (TOs, this one's to you).

Of course, our own Gaming PCs and Gear Store offerings, we want to hear what the community wants to see in a year that we need to flex why iBUYPOWER's the right choice in price, performance, and quality that NA CS can trust. We've got an idea with fl0m cooking there, but stay tuned. And teams? We see your next question

Would iBUYPOWER consider owning a CS team in the future? Or buying the naming rights to a team, as we’ve seen with companies such as Gamdom and BC.Game? If not, what dissuades iBP from doing that?

Of course, we've thought about both (for a long time). A brand that's had a team once can't stop thinking about having a team again. On top of literal "skin in the game", our curiosity about returning is more of a when than an if.

We understand that it's a big decision, though our brand needs to stand on commitment that we at least support the holistic plans above first and do right by the NA CS community as one of the few truly endemic gaming hardware brands still headquartered in North America.

That being said, those support plans could come faster than you think. Would you be ready for a Team iBUYPOWER again in the future?

iBUYPOWER seems to want to make a big splash in its return to CS, which may be in the near future, according to King Perez.