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Successful Faze Clan team in CS:GO (source: fazeclan.com)
The competitive waters in video games are deep, but several organizations stand out above the surface, covering most branches of the esports scene. They encompass players and teams from various games and regions and are known worldwide, similar to football clubs. There are many genres of games where professional tournaments and leagues are held, and one article could hardly cover them all, so we will focus on large organizations whose business plans extend to multiple branches of esports.
Compiling this list was challenging, as it depends on how one views the success of an esports organization. The highest tournament winnings? Team Liquid. The most fans and merchandise sold? Faze Clan. The oldest club? SK Gaming. Dominance in the League of Legends scene? T1. Each organization dominated a different esports game title, so we decided to focus on those with the greatest successes in the past year.
Faze Clan
Faze Clan is one of the most successful clubs in terms of the number of fans and merchandise sold. It is particularly popular in the western part of our planet. The five-member team of this organization has long dominated the competitive Counter-Strike scene, but its other teams focusing on FPS games like Halo or Call of Duty are also successful. Besides that, it is involved in other games like FIFA, Rocket League, or Apex Legends. Its presence in MOBA games is currently non-existent.
G2 Esport
The European organization originally known as Gamers2 is now primarily known for its League of Legends and Counter-Strike teams. The first has been dominating the European league for several years in a row, and the second regularly places high in tournaments. However, the organization’s presence does not end here: it also owns relatively successful teams in games like Rainbow Six Siege, Valorant, Fortnite, and Rocket League.
Team Vitality
The French team Vitality began building a great image thanks to its CS team, which seemed unbeatable for a long time. The organization’s League of Legends branch managed to penetrate the top European league, but its performance was not very impressive here. The name Team Vitality can also be seen in tournaments in games like StarCraft II, Valorant, and Rocket League.
Team Liquid
Liquid was established in 2000 in the Netherlands to support successful European StarCraft players. Since then, this organization has expanded into other areas of esports: a relatively successful and well-known CS team, a dominant North American LoL team, or a DOTA 2 squad.
Fnatic
The latest results of the European team Fnatic in all spheres do not please its fans too much, but it was not always like this. It used to dominate the European LoL scene and the CS scene (it still has teams in them), but today its gaming teams can also be found in Valorant, Apex Legends, and Rainbow Six Siege.
OpTic Gaming
The organization originally from Texas, USA, OpTic Gaming, is primarily known for its teams dedicated to FPS games: Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Halo, and Apex Legends. Today, however, it also owns a team that competes in the top North American LoL league (LCS).
SK Telecom T1
The team, known today simply as T1, comes from South Korea and is the main stable of probably the best LoL player in history: Faker. He and his teammates have long dominated not only their home scene (LCK) but also world tournaments. The organization also owns another team that competes in Valorant shootouts, but its main focus remains the League of Legends team.
Team Solomid
This organization is now better known as TSM and its foundation dates back to 2009. At that time, it dominated the North American LoL scene, and the founders can be found in their original team of this MOBA game. TSM was once a very popular organization that managed to enter other games, where it did not achieve such success: Valorant, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike.
Gaimin Gladiators
The organization Gaimin Gladiator, abbreviated as GG, is home to a team that has achieved the unprecedented in DOTA 2: winning three majors in a row, and it looks like they will dominate this year as well. GG entered the scene only in 2022, but today, besides the highly successful DOTA team, it also owns relatively experienced teams in games like Rocket League, Tekken, Fortnite, and Apex Legends.
How to start an esports team?
Every player’s dream is to be part of such an organization or even start their own. After all, most of today’s most successful and profitable esports clubs were born from the mere dreams of passionate video game fans. Fulfilling such a dream is relatively simple: you just need to form an association or a limited liability company (LLC). An association is usually established to protect interests, with business or profit-making not being the main purpose. However, the association can sell its merchandise, but this must be a secondary economic activity. In contrast, a limited liability company (LLC) is established for the purpose of generating profit, and initial capital is required for its establishment. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify whether your organization is only to gather players (association) or if its goal is to make a profit (LLC). It is also important to study the legal regulations of your country regarding business, payments, and taxes.
How to join an esports team?
The simple answer would probably be: be the best in your game and be visible. In the past, most professional teams arose from groups of friends who played together and were good. Today, esports is a bit further along, and organizations draft players like clubs in other sports. The goal is to create the best possible team, where players understand each other. Today’s era, with its social media and streaming platforms, allows video game players to gain visibility and thus get noticed by the wider gaming public. This is precisely how an organization might notice you. It might even happen that you meet a professional player in the game, strike up a conversation, and after a few weeks of playing together, receive an invitation to the team. Besides that, you can try contacting the teams yourself or responding to advertised recruitment (which rarely happens). If your gaming results support you, try it, but do not rely on miracles: professional gaming requires your dedication (flexibility, availability, traveling to tournaments, putting aside your ego…).
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Frequently asked questions
1️⃣ How can I start my own esports team?
You have two options: establishing a limited liability company or an association. See the chapter “How to start an esports team?”.
2️⃣ What is the oldest esports organization in the world?
The German organization SK Gaming was established in 1997, but the Brazilian team Black Dragons was also founded in the same year. Both share the title of the oldest organization in the esports scene.
