It’s been a day of changes for three UK esports organisations in the Rocket League RLCS today, as one (Semper Fortis) scaled back and two (Tundra Esports and Quadrant) expanded.
The news comes as the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) gets underway today, October 14th 2022, with the Fall Split Open.
SMPR Esports cut player contracts, leave RLCS & revamp strategy
Semper Fortis Esports have now ended all contracts with previous esports talent associated with the company, the org announced today.
With the final sale of SMPR Esports’ UK Rocket League player Archie to Oxygen Esports, SMPR has fully cleared off all previous talent associated with the team, with all existing contracts coming to end and a decision made not to renew them.
The company plans to develop a new esports strategy in the coming quarter ‘in an effort to continue competition and content for the brand’.
UPDATE (November 3rd 2022): Semper have acquired a new all-Saudi Rocket League roster with a UK coach and French manager for the RLCS 2022/23 season:
“We would like to thank all of our talent for their dedication and efforts during their time with SMPR Esports. We will look to build on what we have established as an organisation and as a brand to find an optimal strategy for the company to move forward in this space.”
Jassem Osseiran, Semper Fortis Esports
The news comes after Kassio, Chausette45, ExoTiiK, archie, Finish and RamS left SMPR as free agents last month. Shortly after, Kassio was part of a rebuild of Top Blokes, the name of the team that was acquired by Semper Fortis in early 2021.
In August, Semper Fortis exited several esports titles after their first annual report revealed a £1.2m loss and lack of sponsors.
Tundra Esports expand into Rocket League
As one org have moved back to reconsider their strategy, another have stepped forward.
Tundra Esports, the London-based esports organisation with international rosters in Dota 2 and Fortnite talent, as well as FIFA content creators, have announced their expansion into Rocket League following the acquisition of the aforementioned Top Blokes.
This is one of the top European rosters in the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS), led by Rocket League veteran and coach, Sandro ‘FreaKii’ Holzwarth. It’s a majorty-German roster except for Kassio, who is French.
The new Tundra Esports Rocket League roster will feature:
- Coach: Sandro ‘FreaKii’ Holzwarth – The most experienced member of the team, FreaKii began his coaching career at Top Blokes, having previously been a player for teams such as Renault Vitality, Team Secret and Veloce Esports.
- Andy ‘Kassio’ Landais – The Frenchman has been active in Rocket League since 2017, having played for teams such as Veloce, netting top 10 finishes in numerous RLCS Seasonals and finishing in the top-12 in the RLCS 21-22 World Championships.
- Riccardo ‘Rizex45’ Mazzotta – German Rocket League professional Rizex45 has been in Rocket League for over five years, playing for organisations such as FC Barcelona and Evil Geniuses.
- David ‘Rezears’ Wünsch – Half Hungarian, half German, prodigal player Rezears is one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in the space, netting nearly $50,000 in prize money before turning 20 years old.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Top Blokes team to Tundra Esports,” commented Anthony Graham, co-founder and director of esports at Tundra.
“Top Blokes is one of the most promising European teams in the circuit and we feel with the right support they will thrive. Our goal at Tundra Esports is to compete at the highest level in the world’s biggest esports titles, and we believe Top Blokes carries the same ambitions and values as our organisation. Welcome to the TundraTribe.”
Anthony graham, Tundra Esports
“Rocket League remains a strong and steady esports title with growing viewership, a number of partnership opportunities being an accessible competitive game and carries a strong player base across the UK and Europe where our current focus lies,” said Maxim Demin, owner and co-founder. “Top Blokes have shown excellent results in recent performances and with our resources we know we can go further together.”
Coach Sandro ‘FreaKii’ Holzwarth added: “We are excited to be joining the TundraTribe as they expand into Rocket League. Sharing an ambitious vision to compete at the highest level and dominate the competitive esports scene – we can’t wait to get started!”
Tundra’s Dota 2 team recently qualified for The International 2022 and Tundra also announced footballer Virgil van Dijk as an ambassador and shareholder.
Quadrant sign all-UK Rocket League roster in reveal featuring Mark Goldbridge
Quadrant have signed a Rocket League roster ahead of the upcoming RLCS.
They made the announcement on their socials with football YouTuber Mark Goldbridge hosting. The team were also known as Goldbridge Ball in the recent qualifiers. Beyond that, Esports News UK understands Mark doesn’t have a set position at the organisation, but was involved in the content as a fun announcement video.
Quadrant hopes to have decals and in-game items available for fans to use in 2023 to showcase their support for the franchise.
The Quadrant RLCS 2022-23 roster is:
- Kurtis ‘Kash’ Cannon
- Lucas ‘Relatingwave‘ Rose
- Dylan ‘Eekso’ Pickering
- Coach: Nicolai ‘Snaski’ Andersen
- Analyst: Wesley ‘Hotness’ Canady
With the commencement of the first regional this year, Quadrant will be gunning to become the first all-UK roster to make a Major in RLCS history.
The news comes after Quadrant became a partnered team in the Halo Championship Series (HCS).
Lando Norris, CEO and founder of Quadrant, said: “Quadrant finally has our own Rocket League team. It’s a title we’ve always had an interest in, so after a great debut year in esports, we’re now adding another team to our roster.
“Competition is in our DNA, so it’s going to be awesome to see how we compete on the big stage, and it all starts today with the Fall Open.”
Lando Norris, Quadrant
Jamie MacLaurin, chief gaming officer of Quadrant, added: “We are starting to build some good momentum now with our esports programme and signing this roster was a big statement for us.
“Rocket League is an esport we have admired for a long time, and we know will resonate well with our fan base. This all-British lineup is full of star quality and we look forward to an exciting season with them ahead.”
Related article: Williams Resolve, Endpoint and Oxygen Esports sign UK Rocket League players
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.
