Williams Racing has extended its partnership with UK-based esports organisation Resolve to enter the world of Fortnite esports.
They have also signed their first Fortnite player, 17-year-old Cyprien ‘xsweeze’ Dumonteil.
Cyprien has competed in numerous Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) Grand Finals and boasts victories in Gamers Assembly and the Solacer Cup, plus several other tournaments.
The French prodigy will make his official Williams Resolve debut in the FNCS Chapter 3 Season 3 Grand Finals alongside his teammate Podasai from Team Vitality on August 13th and 14th 2022.
With the onset of activations like Llama-Rama and Champions Field (where fans can watch the RLCS Majors through Fortnite in-game activations), Williams and Resolve said in a press release the connection between fans and communities of Rocket League and Fortnite have never been stronger.
Steven English, director of Williams Esports, said: “It’s exciting to take Williams into another new title by entering Fortnite as part of our renewed partnership with Resolve. We were enthused by our first steps in Rocket League this season. The response from taking Williams into a totally new arena was super positive, and we saw great potential for future success with the top five finish in our first Major.
“So now we’re encouraged to work with Resolve across Fortnite as well as Rocket League. Fortnite has continued to grow in recent years and engages a huge number of gamers, so it’s a natural step for us. When we enter a new title, we want to ensure we can be successful and we’re confident we can achieve this in Fortnite together with Resolve.”
The news comes after Williams Resolve finished in the top 10 of the European Fall and Winter splits of the 2021/22 Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS). The team also amassed the largest viewership of a single European RLCS match, with 125,000+ viewers tuning in to see them take on French org Karmine Corp.
“It’s exciting to take Williams into another new title by entering Fortnite as part of our renewed partnership with Resolve. We were enthused by our first steps in Rocket League this season.”
Steven English, Williams Esports
Earlier this week, the team signed Welsh talent Tadpole as Rocket League team manager.
Jeff Simpkins, operations director at Resolve, added: It’s been a real honour for us working with such a prestigious brand like Williams Racing. We’d like to build on the incredible foundations we’ve set in the RLCS, taking our learnings to push on to new heights.
“Our ambitions for next season are far higher and I can’t wait to share more on our venture into Fortnite.”
Last year Resolve acquired fellow UK org Barrage, which was founded in 2015. Resolve compete in Rocket League, Fortnite and League of Legends. Resolve’s women’s League of Legends team, Resolve Blue, recently took part in the LAN finals at the 2022 GirlGamer Oradea Festival.
Williams Racing competes in the Formula One World Championship. The Formula One teams has secured 16 FIA Formula One World Championship titles since its foundation in 1977.
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.
