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| Formerly | The Lords eSports PLC (2019–2020) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| LSE: GILD | |
| Industry | Esports |
| Founded | September 3, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-09-03) |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom[1] |
Key people | |
| Owners |
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| Divisions | 7
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| Website | Official website |
Guild Esports PLC (previouslyThe Lords eSports PLC[1]) is aUnited Kingdom-based professionalesports company founded in 2019. The company is co-owned by former professional football playerDavid Beckham and launched globally in June 2020. Guild Esports was the first esports firm to be publicly traded in the United Kingdom. The organisation has competitive teams inApex Legends,Call of Duty: Warzone,Fortnite,Rennsport (Sim Racing),Street Fighter 6 andTekken 8, as well as a partnership with R8 Esports forMobile Legends: Bang Bang.[3]
The Guild Esports was founded on 3 September 2019 under the name The Lords eSports PLC.[5][6] Later that year, the company sold 11.7% of its shares to investment firm Blue Star Capital for£150,000 (US$195,000). In June 2020, The Lords Esports raised an additional£5 million (US$6.5 M) in private funding, with former professional football playerDavid Beckham acquiring a "significant minority stake" in the company, and rebranded to Guild Esports.[7] The company made its shares available through itsinitial public offering (IPO) on theLondon Stock Exchange (LSE) in September 2020, making Guild Esports the first publicly traded esports organization on the LSE, and raised£20 million (US$27.4 M) through the IPO.[8] In September 2021, it was announced that Guild had become main shirt sponsors ofLeague of Ireland Premier Division clubFinn Harps, meaning the brand would also feature inFIFA 22 on the club's shirts.[9]
In January 2022, Guild Esports signed a 10-year lease for a 9,831 sq ft (913.3 m2) facility in London. The facility will act as the organization's headquarters and training facility and is expected to open inQ2.[10]
On 6 May 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by theSaudi ArabiaPublic Investment Fund and organizers of the Esports World Cup tournament series, announced the 30 organizations (known in the ESWC as Clubs) who would make up the Club Support Program, with Guild being one of them. This program gives teams a one-time six-figure stipend if an organization is willing to enter new esports as well as additional funding each year if they drive viewership and fan engagement to the Esports World Cup.[11]
In November 2020, Guild Esports created theirFortnite division.[12] In March 2021, the team won theFortnite Champion Series European Grand Finals.[13] The next month, the organisation'sRocket League team won theRocket League Championship Series EU Spring Regional.[14]
Guild Esports would acquire Bad News Eagles, a Kosovar-majority unsignedCounter-Strike 2 roster who had made theAntwerp,Rio andParis Majors, in November 2023, rebranding them as Guild Eagles. However, on 24 May 2024, Guild released the team.[15]
As the Esports World Cup Foundation Club Support Program gave Guild a one-time stipend if they wished to enter new esports, particularly those with a presence at the Esports World Cup itself, Guild Esports would sign rosters inStreet Fighter 6 in February,Rennsport (giving them entry into the ESL R1 sim racing league) andTekken 8 in May, andApex Legends (marking their return after two years),Call of Duty: Warzone, andMobile Legends: Bang Bang (in a partnership with R8 Esports focusing on their female roster) in June of 2024, whilst also expanding theirFortnite division in the process. Guild'sApex roster announcement on 13 June drew criticism for usingAI-generated artworks of the game's characters.[16]
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