UK-based esports organisation Guild Esports has announced the launch of its official pro player jersey, which has divided opinion in the esports community.
The jersey features the Guild logo, designed by acclaimed streetwear designer Fergus Purcell, alongside the logo of Subway, which became Guild’s official quick-service restaurant partner following the signing of a two-year multi-million-pound sponsorship deal in March this year.
It will be worn by all of Guild’s pro esports players in fixtures and tournaments.
The jersey can be bought on the Guild Esports website and is priced at £50.
Guild fans reacted positively to the news on Guild’s Twitter page, with some describing it as ‘so cool’, ‘looks [fire emoji]’ and other favourable comments.
Esports News UK shared an image of the Guild jersey on Twitter and received a mix of comments, including some scathing and more constructive opinions.
Esports host and caster Alex Swan said: “It looks like the free T-shirt you would get as a promotion, eat subway 10 times, and you get a free one.”
Bulldog Esports founder Newts added: “I like the org, good people there like what they are trying to do, really dislike the logo. I don’t think I could ever like or wear anything with it on. Just really isn’t for me.”
Esports host Frankie Ward commented: “The logo placement is awkward for women as it sits in a weird underbust location, the logo feels like 80s pastiche rather than current and the sponsor logos shouldn’t be positioned so prominently on a retail version – a sleeve if contractually obligated and just one logo, please.”
“We are really excited to launch our team jersey after surpassing one million followers across Guild’s social platforms earlier this week, two months ahead of schedule.”
Kal Hourd, Guild Esports
Fellow British esports commentator James ‘Stress’ O’Leary added: “Generally I’ve liked what Guild have done recently but this feels like a miss to me. I’m not a fan of such contrasting logo colours, and slapping a different coloured logo on makes it feel cheap in my opinion. I felt the same way with MAD’s Team Razer logo, but hard to get sponsors to agree.”
Guild chief executive Kal Hourd said in an announcement post: “We are really excited to launch our team jersey after surpassing one million followers across Guild’s social platforms earlier this week, two months ahead of schedule.
“Our consistently expanding audience figures and explosive growth in our fanbase affords an exceptional opportunity for brand visibility. As the esports sector returns to the in-person tournaments and events where team kits are a prominent feature, this will further support our revenue streams and long-term growth strategy.
“Moreover, the jersey allows Guild’s partnership team to present a tangible branding opportunity to the global organisations looking to partner with the company.”
Further reading: Guild recently announced it’s the world’s fastest-growing esports organisation after winning the FNCS All-Star Showdown.
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.
