THE START OF SOMETHING SPECIAL
In the year 2004, a man named Sam Mathews took a leap of faith and founded Fnatic, a European esports organisation. This was no spontaneous decision, Sam had a vision and a deep passion for the esports industry. In order to fund the early stages of Fnatic, he made a significant personal sacrifice by selling his car….this allowed him to finance a group of players’ journey to a competitive gaming event held in the bustling city of Las Vegas. It was a bold move that underscored his commitment and belief in the potential of esports. So that’s how Fnatic came into the world. And the rest is history.
TWENTY YEARS AT THE TOP
The early game: (2004-2008)
We kicked things off with Counter-Strike in 2004, getting into our stride in 2005 to take the team to the EPS Finals, and WC3L finals. We started hitting our first power plays in 2006 when our CS squad led by our very own cArn took home the CPL Winter Championship.
2007 saw us take things seriously with an actual office and an entry into Dota
Entering the meta: (2008-2012)
2008 saw us quickly level up up, diving into World of Warcraft, DotA, and Quake. Our World of Warcraft team absolutely dominated, taking home the BlizzCon World Championships in '08 and '09. Then came our League of Legends squad in 2011, who absolutely dominated, taking the first-ever LoL World Championship.
The Introduction of Icons: (2012 - 2014)
Our League of Legends team continued to dominate, winning multiple EU LCS titles and becoming a staple leader of the European scene. Players like xPeke and Yellowstar became icons of the game, pulling off plays that twenty years later are still being talked about.
Going Global: (2014-2018)
We took it outside of Europe, branching out into CS:GO, Dota2, Rainbow 6 and Overwatch. The wins were racking up as we cemented our place centre of the worlds stage. Our CS:GO team took home trophies across the world from Dreamhack to ESL One and we launched our first CS skins! Always at the front of innovation, in 2016 we not only started making our own Gear, but we also launched Bunkr, the first ever esports concept store.
Big Brand Moves: (2018-2021)
A refresh on the Brand brought about some big moves, we’re talking Hello Kitty colabs, Gucci limited drops, Nike exclusive collections and more big name partnerships that you can think of. When lockdown came we took to the stream, bringing you Fnatic live to keep our community together during uncertain times. We became known for our content, for entertaining and bringing you on the journey of our big brand moments.
Championing Performance: (2021 - 2024)
A move into Valorant in 2021 took us to the top of another tier one title, we broke records with back to back trophy wins and started a new legacy with the best team in the region. This chapter in our history was all about taking it to the next level, from signing some of the biggest creators in history to launching the first all-team jersey we have carved our name in the annuls of esports as the most performative team in the world. Summer 2024 is seeing us take on new titles and new challenges with new entries into TFT, Tekken and MLBB plus grand returns to Streetfighter, Overwatch and Fifa. Our teams are looking stronger than every with the most qualifications to Worlds still intact and our teams all in the running for trophies to round out 2024.
TWO DECADES OF DEDICATION
Throughout this all you’ve been there! You’ve supported us through the ups and down’s. Spammed the static when we needed it most and built the community that we know and love today. Every play, every move, every story we tell is all for you, to bring you closer, to connect you to one another and to make Fnatic the home for all that it’s become.
