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Formerly | The Lords Esports |
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Company type | Public |
LSE: GILD | |
Industry | Esports |
Founded | September 2019 |
Headquarters | 16 Northumberland Avenue London, United Kingdom |
Key people | |
Owners |
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Divisions | 6
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Website | Official website |
Guild Esports PLC (previously The Lords Esports) is a United Kingdom-based professional esports company founded in 2019. The company is co-owned by former professional football player David 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 in Counter-Strike 2, EAFC 24, Fortnite, Street Fighter 6, F4 Esports (Sim Racing) and Valorant.[2]
The Guild Esports was founded in September 2019 under the name The Lords Esports.[4] 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 player David Beckham acquiring a "significant minority stake" in the company, and rebranded to Guild Esports.[5] The company made its shares available through its initial public offering (IPO) on the London 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.[6] In September 2021, it was announced that Guild had become main shirt sponsors of League of Ireland Premier Division club Finn Harps, meaning the brand would also feature in FIFA 22 on the club's shirts.[7]
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 in Q2.[8]
On 6 May 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by the Saudi Arabia Public 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.[9]
In November 2020, Guild Esports created their Fortnite division.[10] In March 2021, the team won the Fortnite Champion Series European Grand Finals.[11] The next month, the organisation's Rocket League team won the Rocket League Championship Series EU Spring Regional.[12]
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Legend:
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