British esports organisation Guild Esports has announced that it is officially ceasing operations, but hasn’t mentioned those they still owe money.
Guild was originally part-owned by legendary England and Manchester United footballer David Beckham, who invested £200k into it.
Last year, Guild was bought out by DCB Sports, a California-based investment firm which also holds stakes in Venezia FC and the Monaco Women’s football team.
Fast forward to a year later, Guild Esports has been listed for sale on the insolvency market.
Following those reports, Guild released a statement confirming the organisation is shutting down:
“Despite our best efforts, financial challenges and the current economic climate have made it impossible for us to continue operating.
“This outcome is also not a reflection of the support of all our partners who supported our work in the esports space alongside us over the past five years.”
However, the organisation has failed to address allegations that Guild Esports still owe creators and esports rosters money.
Guild’s statement claimed the organisation had worked to “champion representation and create opportunities within our industry.”
Yet, multiple women from the gaming industry have come forward claiming that Guild still owes them money.
One of them is Frankie Ward, who left a scathing attack on the organisation on social media:
“What they’ve actually done is to exploit a ton of women in gaming. I’ve not had a single invoice from this year paid.
“And they had a non-compete clause for their sponsor Sky Broadband for the five-month period that I hosted for them, blocking me from actually making money.
“They have not empowered women and marginalised genders, they have financially abused us.”
Guild allegedly still owes prize money to esports pros too, including its Apex Legends team from the Esports World Cup.
There are also allegations that employees and competition winners are waiting to be paid by Guild Esports as well.
Failing to address this while posting a Twitter statement on an account with a golden tick, which costs over £1k a month, has left many furious.
What went wrong with Guild Esports?
Despite backing from Beckham and high-profile partnerships with Sky and Subway, Guild never managed to be profitable.
The celebrity endorsement by Beckham felt hollow, with no real interest or involvement from the footballing star.
Some saw it as an attempt to profit from his likeness with no genuine attempt to help the esports industry.
It is true that 2025 has been difficult for esports teams. It’s why Complexity quit Counter-Strike after 20+ years.
However, it’s no secret that Guild has been struggling financially for a while.
It was last reported that the company was dealing with losses around the £2 million mark.
Since being floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2020, Guild’s stock has fallen by over 90% from its peak.
Guild Esports also spread itself thin by acquiring stakes in various companies, including 25% of Ginx TV.
All of it has led to this disastrous end, with so many still waiting for invoices to be paid.
In my seven years of esports writing, I’ve introuduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I’m most proud of the latter.
