Esports organisation BASILISK has announced new partnerships with the California Institute of Technology’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM) and The Planetary Society, aiming to bring scientific advocacy to the forefront of competitive gaming culture.
Unveiled during the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, the collaborations mark a distinctive approach by BASILISK, which positions itself not just as a competitive esports team but as a cultural platform for promoting science. The organisation aims to integrate science at every level of its structure, applying data science and performance psychology to talent development, while actively engaging audiences with scientific themes.
Founded in 2020, BASILISK describes itself as “science’s esports team”, with a mission to inspire curiosity and support scientific discovery through the global reach of gaming. The team features high-profile talent, including Finnish StarCraft II champion Joona “Serral” Sotala and German chess grandmaster Vincent Keymer.
The initiative is led by Co-Founder Christopher Bothur, who emphasised that the team’s aim is to connect with younger, curious audiences in spaces where traditional science communication struggles to reach.
“We are proud to showcase IQIM and The Planetary Society logos on our jerseys. Together, we are meeting curious scientific minds where they are: watching and playing video games. With over 600 million global esports fans, this is a necessary evolution in science advocacy,” he stated.
The organisation is also supported by Kyle Hill, a science communicator and former MythBusters: The Search show host. As BASILISK’s science outreach lead, Hill brings an audience of over 2.5 million followers and a broad network of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals and enthusiasts into the project.
Representatives from both partner institutions echoed the significance of this cross-industry effort. Dr Spiros Michalakis of IQIM, who also serves as a scientific advisor to Marvel Studios, said the collaboration allows science to emotionally and culturally connect with new audiences. “You’re playing so hard that you break the world and get to put it together again. That’s science,” he said.
Jennifer Vaughn, COO of The Planetary Society, highlighted the mutual goals of engaging younger generations: “BASILISK promotes science in fun and exciting ways – exactly what we strive to do. This collaboration helps us grow the movement for space science and exploration.”
By bridging gaming and science, BASILISK’s approach stands out in the esports landscape, where partnerships typically focus on performance, branding, or entertainment.
