i61 interview: 'To compete at a higher level, UK orgs will have to merge' – Barrage Esports

As the first in a series of video interviews from Insomnia61, Esports News UK talks to Barrage Esports co-owners Jeff Simpkins and Taylor Duke.
We spoke about why the pair decided to merge their organisations, why content creation is so important and their thoughts on the recent controversies surrounding the ESL UK & Ireland Premiership and the UK Masters.
Jeff said: “I think we’re gonna have to have more UK orgs merging in the future, because there’s too many at the moment.
“Not everyone is going to have a seat at the table and can compete at the same level. To compete at the higher level, I think people are going to have to consolidate and merge to make sure they’re in for a chance.”
Taylor said: “A lot of orgs won’t do much unless they put more into it, create good content and so on.
“In terms of us merging, we pay things 50/50 [between Jeff and I], we don’t look at profits, we want to grow the org, then 10 years down the line we genuinely believe it’ll grow to the size of what normal sports are today. We want to invest in it and it’s a genuine hobby for us.”
Elsewhere, the org were interviewed by Forces TV at Insomnia this weekend, which broadcasts on Sky and Virgin Media.
Barrage also had a content set up at Insomnia, with a green screen, lighting and more.
Check out the full video interview here:

Further reading: Are org mergers a sign of things to come in the UK scene? Dukes and Barrage pool resources

Dom Sacco

Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.