Last checked at 6 Dec 2021 07:00
Press Release
06 December 2021
Guild Esports PLC
("Guild Esports" or "Guild" or the "Company")
Global Top Three FIFA Player Signed
Guild Esports (LSE: GILD), a global team organisation and lifestyle brand, is pleased to announce the signing of Nicolas Villalba ("Nicolas99fc") as the newest member of its FIFA roster.
Nicolas, from Argentina, has ranked in the top 3 FIFA players worldwide since 2018 and is Argentina's second highest earner within esports, with $290,000 in lifetime earnings to date. His most notable international Major wins include the FIFA 19 PS4 Playoffs and the FIFA 19 eClub World Cup.
Nicolas previously played for FC Basel 1893 E-sports based in Switzerland and has signed a one-year contract with Guild, which has the option to renew for another year. He will be moving from Argentina to London in order to compete from Europe, one of the first moves of its kind in FIFA. The move will enable Nicolas to benefit from Guild's Academy system and coaching, with the aim of becoming the number 1 FIFA player globally.
He will join Niklas Raseck ("Nraseck") on the Guild 2022 FIFA roster and will be competing in the 1vs 1 FIFA Global Series as well the FIFAe Club Series, a new professional 2v2 format. The addition of Nicolas to Guild's FIFA roster will further strengthen Guild's position as one of the top teams in Europe.
Nicolas has a combined social media following of over 170,000 across his channels, comprising 67,500 followers on Twitch, 55,000 followers on Twitter, 27,800 followers on Instagram and 21,000 YouTube subscribers.
Firmly established as the best-selling sports video game franchise of all time, EA has recorded over 325 million total sales of FIFA in its 17-year history and EA Sports FIFA 21 was the best-selling video game in the United Kingdom in 2020 (Source: EA Sports, February 2021).
Kal Hourd, chief executive of Guild Esports, said: "We are so pleased to welcome Nicolas to Guild and support his move to the U.K. to further develop his skills and talent as a player through our academy system. FIFA is a highly significant esport for Guild's pipeline of sponsors and partners, and we are delighted to be strengthening our position in the European rankings with Nicolas, one of the most consistently high-performing players within FIFA."
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Guild Esports | |
Kal Hourd Chief Executive
Neil Thapar Investor Relations | via Tancredi +44 207 887 7633
+44 7876 455 323 |
Tennyson Securities | |
Corporate Broker Peter Krens
| +44 207 186 9030 |
Zeus Capital | |
Corporate Broker Benjamin Robertson
| +44 203 829 5000 |
Tancredi Intelligent Communication Media Relations | |
Salamander Davoudi Emma Valgimigli Helen Humphrey guild@tancredigroup.com | +44 7957 549 906 +44 7727 180 873 +44 7449 226 720 |
About Guild Esports:
Guild Esports PLC is a global fan-focused team organisation and lifestyle brand that fields professional players in gaming competitions under the Guild banner. Our training academy aims to attract and nurture the best esports talent, and our goal is to provide the ultimate entertainment experience alongside a distinctive lifestyle brand authentic to the esports community worldwide. Guild is led by an experienced management team of esports veterans and co-owned by David Beckham. The Company is headquartered in the UK and its shares are listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: GILD). Please visit www.guildesports.com