Guild Esports plc (LON:GILD), a global team organisation and lifestyle brand, has announced the signing of a top-tier team, comprising of all-women, to compete in Valorant, a leading 5v5 multiplayer tactical shooter game.
The new team, Guild X, comprises Vivian Mae Schilling ‘Roxi’ (DE), Yağmur Gündüz ‘Smurfette (TUR), Anastasiya Rival’evna ‘Glance’ (RUS), Benfakir Sophia ‘Kim’ (FRA) and team captain Klaudia Beczkiewicz ‘Cinnamon’ (USA). All five players, who previously competed as Project X, have signed one-year contracts with an option to renew for another year. They will receive an annual salary and performance incentives.
Guild X becomes the Company’s fifth roster of high-achieving professional players and has already established a strong track record of success under its previous name, recently winning the Women in Games Community Cup.
They will kick off their career under the Guild banner by competing in the first-ever all-women’s Valorant tournament, the VTC Game Changers EMEA. The tournament, which runs from 27 September to 3 October 2021 has been launched to help create more competitive opportunities for women in esports.
The first two VCT Game Changers EMEA events will be open qualifier tournaments, featuring up to 64 teams competing for a share of the €20,000 (£17,219) prize pool per tournament. The final event of the series taking place from November 15th to November 21st will feature a total prize pool of €50,000 (£43,055). The total prize pool for Valorant across all tournaments to date is estimated at over $8.3m (Source: Liquipedia).
The new hires take the total number of active players on Guild’s roster across all games to 18. The Company fields teams in Fortnite, a battle royal online multiplayer; Rocket League, a motor-racing and soccer hybrid game; FIFA, the eponymous football franchise, as well as Valorant. Guild has achieved top results in major trophies, including the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) and Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS).
Guild X athlete Cinnamon said: “When we started looking for an organisation to join we wanted somewhere that took us and our development as competitors seriously. Guild gave us total reassurance on that, and that we would be able to create a legacy here. We are so excited about Guild’s commitment not just to us but to the future of the Valorant esports universe and plans to inspire more and more gamers to join it through their Academy.”
Kal Hourd, Chief Executive at Guild Esports said: “We are incredibly proud to welcome our first all-women team to Guild. Ensuring that women have a route to inclusion and progression in the industry is important for the future of the esports ecosystem as its mainstream appeal grows and global brands seek to reach its growing and diverse audiences. Fostering inclusion in esports is part of Guild’s founding vision and our academy approach is a key part of making that happen, we look forward to working with partners that share our vision for esports as an inclusive haven.”
