Press Release
13 June 2024
Guild Esports PLC
("Guild Esports", "Guild", or "the Company")
Guild re-enters Apex Legends
Confirmed entry into the Esports World Cup Club Championship
Guild Esports PLC (LSE: GILD; OTCQB: GULDF), a global gaming-focused media business, is pleased to announce its re-entry into Apex Legends, a first-person, online multiplayer game published by Electronic Arts and developed by Respawn Entertainment.
Guild's new Apex Legends team, which will compete under the Guild banner, has competed together as 'Serenity' since November 2023. The team comprises Australian professional players Benjamin "Jesko" Spaseski, Tyson "Buegy" Crossman and Tom "Legacy" Canty, as well as team coach Winnie "tiltedwinnie" Long. The team has been signed on a one-year contract.
The team recently qualified for the Esports World Cup (EWC) and will represent the Company at the tournament, competing for a share of the $2m prize pool. Guild previously competed in Apex Legends between October 2021 and June 2022 and has returned to the esport for the EWC.
Guild's new Apex Legends team secures the Company's place in the Esports World Cup Club Championship ("the Club Championship"). The Club Championship is a cross-game competition at the EWC, where the world's best esports organisations will compete for a share of a $20 million team prize pool.
Alongside Apex Legends, Guild has qualified for the Esports World Cup in ESL R1, a high-profile sim racing competition. Each esports team must qualify for the EWC in at least two games to be eligible for the Club Championship, and as such Guild has now met the requirement for entry.
The new roster will additionally represent the Company at major international tournaments such as the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS), which features multiple stages such as online qualifiers, playoffs, and championships, drawing top teams from around the world. Apex Legends has two annual majors with a prize pool of $1m (each online qualifier has a prize pool of $125k) and an end-of-year Global Series Final with a prize pool of $2m.
Apex Legends is a battle royale where teams of three compete to be the last squad standing. In tournaments, points are typically awarded based on both final placement and for each enemy defeated, with various rounds determining the final standings. It is an immensely popular video game and esport, with 18 million active monthly players (source: Electronic Arts, 2024). The game's popularity has led to a thriving esports scene, reaching a viewership record of over 700,000 during the "Crazy Raccoon Cup" in 2023 (source: Esports Charts, 2024).
Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports, commented: "The Esports World Cup promises to be the biggest and most exciting esports event in history. We're delighted to have joined the Club Championship and to be competing at the tournament for a share of that $20m prize pool.
"Apex Legends is the perfect game to secure our entry into the Club Championship. Our talent scouts have long been on the lookout for the perfect team to bring us back to the esport. They've done a stellar job in finding Legacy, Buegy and Jesko, who are some of the most exciting young players on the Apex Legends scene. We'll be cheering them on as they take the Esports World Cup by storm - we can't wait to see what they can do."
For further information please contact:
Guild Esports |
|
Jasmine Skee Chief Executive |
via Tancredi +44 207 887 7633
|
Tennyson Securities |
|
Corporate Broker Peter Krens |
+44 207 186 9030 |
Tancredi Intelligent Communication Media Relations |
|
Helen Humphrey Charlie Hobbs |
+44 7449 226 720 +44 7897 557 112 |
About Guild Esports:
Guild Esports PLC is a global gaming-focused media business that fields professional players in gaming competitions under the Guild banner. Our in-house training academy aims to attract and nurture the best esports talent, and our goal is to provide the ultimate entertainment experience alongside a distinctive lifestyle brand authentic to the esports community worldwide. Guild is led by an experienced management team of entertainment sector and esports veterans and co-owned by David Beckham. The Company is headquartered in the UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: GILD) and on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States (ticker: GULDF). Please visit www.guildesports.com for more information.
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