XL Studio, a new global creative agency, has launched today, specialising in ‘creating engaging and innovative campaigns, events, activations, and exposure for brands’.
Founded by industry veterans with over 20 years of combined experience, XL Studio is set to design bespoke campaigns and activations for mainstream and gaming brands, connecting them with the global gaming community.
It’s been launched by Managing Director Mark Carter (who also works as Chief Commercial Officer at GiantX, the esports organisation formerly known as Excel Esports (before merging with Giants Gaming), as well as Studio Director, Jason Spiller, who founded Arcanist, a gaming and esports agency. Reagan May will join as Creative Lead, having previously worked as a social media strategist for various clients in gaming, including influencers.
Jeffrey Marriott, who has extensive experience working with Bungie, Humble Games and Epic Games, will join as Influencer Lead, while Craig Nimmo, who has built events for gaming and esports clients, will join as Operations Lead.
The agency is under the same ownership as GiantX, but is separate to the esports organisation.
JRJ Group, which previously acquired a majority stake in Excel Esports (recently rebranded to GiantX), will continue its support in this new venture to deliver campaigns to brands.
XL Studio has already worked to bring a series of events and campaigns to the public eye, including bringing sports fashion and outdoor brand JD Sports to the gaming trade fair, Gamescom, with its experiential campaign Beyond the Basement. XL Studio has also worked alongside rhythm game developers, Drastic Games, and mobile network operator EE, during its Valorant Women’s Cup tournament at Insomnia Gaming Festival in 2023.
Jason Spiller, XL Studio’s Studio Director, commented: “With the foundations built by an incredibly talented and creative team, we’ve built XL Studio with the ambition of delivering versatile and engaging campaigns that put our clients’ projects in the spotlight. From social media experts to influencer managers, who have worked across the industry and with some of the biggest names imaginable, we’re excited to build and execute gaming and digital culture strategies and campaigns for brands around the globe.”
Mark Carter, Managing Director, added: “The esports and gaming industry has grown exponentially in recent years, and with this growth, it is becoming increasingly challenging for Brands to gain impactful visibility and ROI (return on investment). With XL Studio, we’re proud to bring years of invaluable knowledge to the table to help curate and execute gaming-focused strategies and campaigns for global brands.”
There’s more info on the XL Studio website.
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.
