David Beckham As Co-Owner Guild Esports To Launch

Headquartered in London, Guild Esports (Guild) is a new global esports company with David Beckham as one of its co-owners. The company has today announced its worldwide launch into the rapidly expanding international esports market which is fast becoming the leading form of sporting competition and exhibition with unprecedented popularity and cultural relevance.

Having received a massive boost in Asia, the global esports market is currently worth US$1.1 billion and is projected to grow by a further 42% in 2023 to US$ 1.56 billion. The esports fanbase, consisting mainly of millennials, is currently estimated to be as large as 495M, a number expected to climb as high as 646M by 2023. 

Using the traditional academy model, Guild in the UK, will develop and draw from a talent pipeline. Those players displaying the most potential will receive training and coaching in order to hone the necessary skills to compete at professional level.  A team of scouts will constantly and proactively seek out and recruit the most promising young talent.

By putting together an established team of esports veterans, all experienced either as professional competitors, coaches or members of the esports media, Guild will enter the esports market in a strong position. 

The Guild boasts as its Chairman, Overwatch and Call Of Duty League architect, Carleton Curtis. Prior to joining the Guild, Curtis held leading esports roles at Activision Blizzard and Red Bull. In conjunction with David Beckham’s prominent position in mainstream sports, the Guild brings to esports a unique offering. 

In the fall of this year, Guild’s first team will make its debut, competing during the 2020/21 season in titles like the Rocket League, EA Sports FIFA and Fortnite. Guild will play across different categories, honouring the diverse nature of the sport fanbase and recognizing regional preferences and loyalties. The company will strives to create a spirit of excellence around its brand and digital identity.

Due to his involvement and experience in the growth of sports companies, his co-ownership of Inter Miami CF and his passion for leading emerging talent to achieve success, David Beckham ‘s foray into esports reflects a logical progression. His inclusion in the Guild launch presents the perfect opportunity to introduce his professional sporting standards to the esporting community and to further develop this growing sport.

Guild has secured talented London Based artist Fergus Purcell, creator of the unique Palace skate label, to design its brand and to develop unique, aesthetic lifestyle clothing that is tailored to the esports community and embodies his streetwear-inspired design philosophy. Fergus has a distinct design style, characterized by pop culture, streetwear and skate culture which has secured him collaborations with a wide range of fashion designers and music artists, from Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and 2manydjs to Alexander McQueen.

CARLETON CURTIS, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, COMMENTED:

“The meteoric rise of esports shows no signs of slowing down and this is the perfect moment for Guild Esports to enter this exciting market. We have built an experienced management team and I am proud to have David Beckham as co owner in this venture as his professionalism and deep experience of developing highfunctioning sports teams aligns with our core strategy of building the best in

class esports teams. At Guild Esports, David will be instrumental in helping shape the coaching programme implemented at our academies and we welcome his valuable mentoring as well as the inspiration he gives the younger generation of athletes. 

Esports is already one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth and will continue to grow globally as excitement, accessibility and knowledge of the sector soars. Guild looks forward to playing a big role in the future of this growing community.”

DAVID BECKHAM, GUILD ESPORTS CO-OWNER, SAID:

“Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to work with players at the top of their game, and I’ve seen first-hand the passion and dedication it takes to play at that level. I know that determination lives in our esports athletes today and at Guild we have a vision to set a new standard, supporting these players into the future. We are committed to nurturing and encouraging youth talent through our academy systems and I am looking forward to helping our Guild Esports team grow.”