Once small teams, these organisation are now sprawling businesses with sponsors, management and product lines…
Fnatic
Founded in 2004, and technically based in London, Fnatic are probably the most well-known professional esports team in the world.
They’ve enjoyed major success in both pro gaming, as well as merchandising and marketing. As a result, they’ve been propelled into being the most iconic household name in esports.
Fnatic attend over 75 events per year, in over 25 countries, with their name echoing across numerous esports titles.
Their League of Legends division has gone down in history as being the first-ever winner of the LoL World Championship back in 2011, while also holding the record number of LoL LCS split titles – five out of the seven held so far.
They’ve also cemented their legacy in Counter Strike, enjoying major success in both 1.6 and GO.
So far in CS:GO, they’ve taken three Major titles and have drafted two iconic rosters, both celebrated as being among the best in CS:GO history – the f0rest, dsn, cArn, gux and GeT_RiGhT era, and the more recent olofmeister, dennis, flusha, JW and KRiMZ era.
Fnatic also have had a number of other divisions spread across the esports landscape, including rosters for Overwatch, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm and Vainglory.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
This ringing symbol of success in the world of Counter Strike is a formidable staple of the scene, and has been ever since its initiation in 2000. NiP is one of the oldest and most respected teams, competing in both 1.6 and GO.
They’ve enjoyed relentless success throughout their timeline, but were a dominating powerhouse of CS:GO in 2012/2013.
Relishing many undefeated stints and winning numerous tournaments, NiP were in their prime during this period and carried their success into 2014, winning their first Major title at ESL One: Cologne 2014.
Demonstrating their evergreen presence on the scene, NiP have attended all CS:GO Majors from the beginning, bar one, and have finished in the top five, eight out of 10 times.
The organisation also has divisions in both Dota 2 and Overwatch, and also had a League of Legends team back in 2013.
In their short time playing Overwatch, NiP have already made their mark on the scene. Their current unique style has become a play style strategy, commonly referred to as the NiP strat. This comprises of three tanks and three supports.
Cloud9
Cloud9 wasn’t always an esports titan. As a relatively small League of Legends team, it was picked up by current owner Jack Etienne, and carefully nurtured. Now it has become one of the biggest esports organisations in America.
As well as LoL, Cloud9 fields teams in esports such as Dota 2, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Hearthstone and more.
Having a stake in so many games has helped Cloud9 become a resilient and highly successful organisation.
After all, Jack Etienne bought the team for $15,000; since then, Cloud9 has gone on to earn winnings of almost $5m.
The various Cloud9 teams have also racked up numerous impressive achievements, with the LoL and CS:GO teams in particular the best in the world.
Most recently, Cloud9 CS:GO won the ESL Pro League Season 4 finals last October.
The Cloud9 LoL team was dominant in the 2013 and 2014 LCS seasons, and, despite a disappointing year in 2016, remains one of the game’s best.
Team Liquid
Another old multi-gaming organisation who made it onto the list is Team Liquid.
Founded in 2000, Liquid’s origins come from their StarCraft: Brood war clan, but their destined glory really started to manifest with the StarCraft 2 Beta in 2010.
Liquid are celebrated as one of the most successful foreign teams in SC2.
Their involvement in the early days helped shape the Star Craft scene in Korea, not only through their consistent competitive presence, but also as organisers of events such as the Team Liquid Starleague.
They’re also heavily associated with their website, TeamLiquid.net, which has become a community hub and is the most visited site for SC related content.
During their SC2 tenure, Liquid have won an impressive four DreamHack tournaments, two MLG’s, two assemblies and one NASL, among others.
Liquid also have divisions across other esports, including CS:GO, Dota 2, Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm.
Their CS:GO roster placed second at ESL One: Cologne 2016, while their Dota 2 division has enjoyed an array of successes, most recently including first place at StarLadder Season 3 and DreamLeague Season 6.
G2 esports
G2, formally known as Gamers2, has filed rosters across a wide range of esports, including League of Legends, CS:GO, Hearthstone and Rocket League.
Their LoL team placed first in the summer and spring seasons of the LCS, finishing first in both the split and playoffs in 2016.
G2 have also enjoyed further success with their CS:GO division. During the 2017 French shuffle, it was announced that G2 had plans for a ‘super team’, which they later delivered.
The current roster has arguably two of the most talented French players in CS:GO history: kennyS and shox. Since then, they took joint first place at the EU StarLadder Season 3 qualifiers.
Despite many great accomplishments thus far, it’s clear there’s still a lot more to see from G2.
