The Guard Reportedly Lays Off Nearly Their Entire Staff
News broke Wednesday evening that The Guard is laying off a large portion of their staff, leaving many wondering what the future looks like for their Esports teams. The Guard, who is with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, a company that holds stakes in numerous sporting teams and could be shifting away from esports.
Looking like there are now mass layoffs at The Guard, the parent company of LA Guerrillas. pic.twitter.com/MecafdtQqi
— Jacob Hale (@JakeHaleee) February 22, 2023
Most of the employees that were let go were part of their creative and production teams. None of the players on their esports teams were let go, though it does leave much to be questioned about what the future holds for them. Holding teams in VALORANT, Halo, Apex Legends, and the umbrella organization for the LA Guerrillas in the Call of Duty League, many more could be affected as future details break.
There have been many changes throughout the esports world this year, with 10,000 employees leaving Microsoft-owned studios and with 100 Thieves and OpTic laying off a large portion of their staff, it leaves an eery feeling for current esports team employees.
With the mass layoffs that have occurred, it leaves many talented people without jobs, some of which just started with the company.
Today was mine & everybody else’s last day at The Guard. Nothing but love for the talented team that I got to be a part of and made me feel welcomed. It felt like a dream. Now it’s time to seek other opportunities. Pls lmk of any photography/videography/editing positions! pic.twitter.com/9GXmGgufK4
— Aaron (@Aaronreq) February 22, 2023
Beyond just the immediate ramifications of jobs lost, it's yet another data point in the ongoing debate about whether or not esports is dying. On one hand, we've seen massive layoffs across the industry. Every section of the business has been hit, from content creators, to athletic talent, to administration and staff.
On the other, in the eyes of many, this has been a long time coming. With the rapid expansion of the esports space over the prior decade, some believed it was only a matter of time before the bubble burst and brought things back down to a more reasonable level.
So which are we seeing? The beginning of the end or sanity being restored? Or beyond that, is this perhaps just a momentary gulley in the space? Only time will tell.
This is a developing story, and we will update this as we get more details.
Zack is the Publishing Manager for Esports Illustrated. He grew up playing videos as a kid, mainly sports games and the Call of Duty series. Before his work at Esports Illustrated, Zack published content for the NFL Draft for various sites since 2017, including partner sites on FanNation and has appeared on various shows across the country and videos across the FanNation group. Outside of work, Zack enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He loves playing football and video games with his son, taking his two daughters to get their favorite treats, and binge-watching shows with his wife. Zack began covering Esports at the end of 2022, mainly covering the Call of Duty League.