North American organisation Golden Guardians has updated its visual identity and expanded into three new titles.
The Golden State Warriors affiliate started in esports as one of 10 long-term partners of Riot Games’ LCS.
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Golden Guardians has updated its logo while retaining the main features of its previous visual identity. It contains references to the bay bridge, a ‘W’ to hint at its Golden State Warriors affiliation, a circular enclosure, and a gemstone shape.
Hunter Leigh, Head of Esports at Golden State Warriors discussed the expansion in a release: “Our primary goal during this time of expansion of the Golden Guardians brand was to enter three unique and popular titles that will enhance our organizational reach. As we take the next step in our road to becoming an elite esports franchise, we are proud to say we now have five teams competing in some of the biggest games in the world.”
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Golden Guardians has expanded beyond League of Legends, now fielding competitors in Apex Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and World of Warcraft. The organisation also plans to expand into Rocket League through the Rocket League Championship Series, as well as other undisclosed titles, in the next few months. Golden State Warriors also has an affiliate team in the NBA 2K League in the form of Warriors Gaming Squad.
Kirk Lacob, Vice President of GSW Sports Ventures added: “Expanding our esports portfolio is an integral part of growing the Warriors brand from just a basketball team to a sports and entertainment company. We are always looking for innovative ways to strengthen the footprint of our organization, and growing the Golden Guardians brand is a major aspect of that growth.”
Esports Insider says: It’s interesting to see an organisation build out from being a franchise, which is typically the opposite way of doing things in esports. A lot of organisation have invested in franchised leagues, but not many ownerships groups that entered through franchising have expanded into open titles. We hope it proves to be a successful venture for GWS and GG!