UK-based Vexed Gaming ceases all operations
24 January 2024
Just judging by the University Esports 2023 Winter Finals that took place at the end of December, it’s easy to conclude that the future looks bright for esports in the UK. More and more institutes of (higher) education are starting to realise the potential of esports and gaming, which leads to more and more opportunities for local talent to showcase what they’ve got. On top of that, the year 2024 is set to bring UK esports fans and players a whole host of prestigious events, including the 2024 League of Legends World Championship Final and the BLAST Premier Spring Final 2024.
At the same time, there are also some less fortunate developments as the UK esports scene keeps growing. Recently, for example, UK-based esports organisation Vexed Gaming announced that they are ceasing operations. The news followed an outflow of key people from the organisation, including Chief Gaming Officer Dan O’Hare and Marketing Director Stephen James, as well as several of Vexed’s esports athletes and content creators.
End of ambitious journey
Vexed Gaming was a British esports organisation that was founded in 2015 and sold to Cooldown Ventures four years later, as part of the latter’s acquisition of Hong Kong-based WeGotGame. Ambitions at Vexed were high at the time, something that was underlined by the purchase of American organisation Mock-it Esports three years later, but that didn’t last. Now, about nine years after its creation, Vexed Gaming has announced it will be shutting down.
“It is with a heavy heart and a profound sense of responsibility that Dan [O’Hare] and I [Stephen James] come to you today to inform that that as of this morning Friday the 19th, 2024, we will no longer be part of Vexed”, James wrote on his personal Twitter account, “As the management team overseeing Vexed Gaming for the past 7 years for myself and 4 years alongside Dan, we find ourselves in the regrettable position of having to share disappointing news. We understand the disappointment and frustration this news may cause, especially to our dedicated players, creators, fans and partners who have been an integral part of the Vexed Gaming journey with myself and Dan”.
Teams for several titles
Over the years, Vexed Gaming boasted dedicated rosters for several popular esports titles, including Apex Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and VALORANT. Industry data suggests that the organisation managed to win a total of about $ 150.000 in prize money since its inception back in 2015.
The big earner for Vexed was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, where the organisation won about $ 65.284 in prize money, followed by Apex Legends with an estimated $ 36.800 in winnings, and Halo with about $ 26.000. Vexed Gaming also managed teams for Hearthstone, Rainbow Six Siege and previously mentioned VALORANT. At the moment, it is not clear whether Vexed Gaming will make a restart, possibly under a new name and new management, or what the former members of the organisation will be doing next.