G2 Esports

G2 Esports started in 2014 as Gamers2, a Spanish venture founded by Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago and Jens Hilgers. Rodríguez, a former mid laner, brought star power; Hilgers, co-founder of ESL, brought institutional know-how. The rebrand to G2 Esports came in October 2015, right after the team qualified for the EU LCS. Today the organization runs out of Berlin, though its Spanish roots still show in its flair for drama and showmanship.

G2 fields rosters across League of Legends, Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, and Rainbow Six Siege, plus less conventional divisions like iRacing and the Kings League Germany. Their League of Legends team holds more LEC titles than any other European organization, and their 2019 Mid-Season Invitational win remains the only time a Western team has lifted that trophy. In Rainbow Six Siege, they were the first to win two World Championships. Their Counter-Strike squad once put together a 22-match LAN map winning streak, the second longest in history, and they are one of the few teams to win both IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne in the same year.

Beyond competition, G2 has built a brand around humor and confidence. They call their fanbase the G2ARMY, and they treat content creation as seriously as scrims. Their social media channels are full of self-deprecating jokes and trash talk aimed at rivals. Merchandise drops, like the One Piece collaboration and a pop-up store in Tokyo's Shinjuku district in the summer of 2025, push the brand into lifestyle territory. The organization also joined the Esports Foundation Club Partner Program, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which brings financial support but also criticism from those who see it as sportswashing. [edit]