Manchester-based gaming and content organisation Horizon Union has unveiled its entry into Apex Legends through the acquisition of European esports roster Top Dogs.
Competing in the highest level of competitive Apex, the Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) league, Horizon Union will be represented by Finnish players Ruabbe, Mimu and ZeroNothing, who have competed for the likes of G2 Esports, Obey Alliance and Ence.
Top Dogs, which will now be branded under the name Horizon and powered by UFO Gaming, will be competing in the playoffs of the ALGS on January 22nd 2022, after qualifying in the ALGS Split 1 League in December 2021.
Ruabbe, captain of the Horizon team, said: “Mimu, ZeroNothing and myself have been continuously pushing expectations as a team and are super happy and excited to be joining Horizon Union. Having been given such an opportunity with a leading organisation, we are ready to achieve great things with Horizon throughout 2022.”
The move to APEX further signals Horizon Union’s commitment to entering the esports space following the news of its partnership with decentralised social gaming platform, UFO Gaming, in late 2021. The partnership will see both organisations expand their brand affinity in the gaming sphere, with a particular focus on esports.
“Esports has always been an element of Horizon that we’ve kept close to our heart as the brand scaled. The collective drive to compete at the highest level is a goal that the entire team shares and seeks to achieve with our esports launch.”
Kieran Wood, Horizon Union
Will Mollett, co-founder and talent and partnerships lead at Horizon Union, commented: “Horizon’s movement into the highest level of Apex is merely a testament to our vision for the brand, with the acquisition of a fantastic EU team, Top Dogs.
“With this spearheading our esports efforts, we could not be happier to be working with a trio of like-minded individuals, hungry for success.”
Kieran Wood, co-founder and operations and commercial lead at Horizon Union, added: “Esports has always been an element of Horizon that we’ve kept close to our heart as the brand scaled. The collective drive to compete at the highest level is a goal that the entire team shares and seeks to achieve with our esports launch.
“Our first steps with Apex Legends is a sign of intent and a nod to what’s to come with Horizon throughout 2022 and we couldn’t be more excited for this venture to begin.”
Founded by Kieran Wood and Will Mollett in 2017, Horizon has grown to house over 35 creators and works alongside global brands such as UFO Gaming, Gfuel, Boost Gaming and ChampionUS.
There’s more information on Horizon Union at https://horizonunion.org
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.
