UK esports organisation Rix.GG, a subsidiary of X1 Esports and Entertainment, has announced that Jan ‘Careion’ Hoffmann has been promoted to CEO.
Careion, the former head of team operations at Fnatic who has also worked as a pro player and coach in the past, joined Rix.GG as COO towards the start of the year.
His promotion comes as Rix.GG CEO and founder, Jamie Lewis, steps down as CEO. He founded Rix during the UK’s first lockdown in July 2020 and will now explore new ventures in business and marketing, while remaining a shareholder of the org.
Jamie Lewis said: “Rix.GG has been one of the most important arcs of my career to date: the stories we wrote, the people we’ve met, and the lessons we’ve learned. I am standing down with a heavy heart, but overwhelming pride with what we have achieved in a short time.
“I have every faith in the new CEO to do an excellent job of leading one of the most dedicated and talented groups of staff a leader could ask for. They have the tools required to help push Rix.GG into a top-tier organisation and I look forward to celebrating from the perspective of a fanboy shareholder at future LANs.
“I’m fully confident in Jan’s abilities to take Rix.GG to the next phase. His track record and experience in the esports industry will be an invaluable asset for the company going forward. I look forward to seeing Rix.GG reach new highs under Jan’s leadership and can’t wait to see the path we take to the very top.
“Looking forward, I will spend the next months considering an overwhelming number of projects and clients and debating where I might be able to add the best value. Until that decision is made I will have limited availability for consultation.
“I will always be the founder of Rix.GG, and I will wear that title with pride and the desire to ensure our organisation is forever invested in grassroots esports, champions the underdog at every opportunity, and tries to do the right thing by all in every situation.”
Careion said he was excited to step up as CEO and looks forward to continue building on Rix’s journey so far:
Careion said: “I started my journey with Rix.GG in January this year and can for sure say that this team is special and one of the most dedicated groups of people I have ever worked with. I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead this team further in what is already an incredible journey to accomplish our goal of becoming a competitive and inclusive tier 1 organisation in esports.
“I want to thank everyone at Rix.GG and X1 Esports & Entertainment for their support and especially Jamie for giving me the opportunity and the trust to continue building on our success so far. I am very excited for the challenge ahead and to speak about the amazing things our team has been working on behind the scenes very soon.”
Rix has been involved in esports like Valorant and Rocket League, and has signed a host of top streamers including SeaPeeKay, KayPea – who joined Rix in March and others.
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.