Esports organisation GIANTX, formed through the union of UK’s Excel Esports and Spain’s Giants Gaming, has closed its London office as part of an ongoing restructuring process following the merger nearly two years ago.

As reported by journalist Dom Sacco in his Substack page, the closure occurred in late September, coinciding with a sharp decline in UK-based staff and the conclusion of several UK-focused brand partnerships, raising questions about the organisation’s operational footprint in the country.

The organisation stated the move is part of the natural integration work to “eliminate duplicated roles and adapt operations to the current realities of the esports industry.” According to Dom Sacco’s reporting, since the merger, little more than 20 UK-based staff have left the organisation, with the departure attributed to a combination of redundancies, natural attrition, and employees choosing to leave on their own accord. Only one staff member is understood to have relocated to GIANTX’s Málaga headquarters full-time.

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This reduction in UK presence is further evidenced by a change in the organisation’s partnership portfolio. Previously listed UK brands such as HSBC and PC Specialist are no longer featured on the GIANTX website, indicating a shift in commercial focus.

Despite this, the organisation maintains it is actively recruiting for some roles, including a hybrid senior business development manager to be based in London, and is evaluating a new, smaller UK office space. Plus, it still holds partner spots at the main European esports competitions such as the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and at the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT EMEA), both operated by Riot Games.

Sacco highlights that the closure marks a significant shift from the organisation’s roots as Excel Esports, which was founded in the UK in 2014. Excel established a physical UK presence with a gaming house in Reading in 2018, later moving to a training centre at Twickenham Stadium and finally opening a dedicated Shoreditch office in 2022, which became the GIANTX London office post-merger.

In a statement provided to Dom Sacco, GIANTX addressed the changes, emphasising their continued commitment to the region: “Although we have closed our previous London office, our UK operations remain active, with staff currently working from the country and ongoing recruitment for new roles. We are already evaluating a new office location in the UK that better suits our needs, as the former space exceeded what was required post-integration.”

The org added: “The United Kingdom continues to play a strategic role in our future… We are also actively expanding our work with British brands. While some partnerships have naturally concluded, others have been renewed, and we will soon be announcing a new commercial agreement in the UK.”