X7 Esports acquire UK org Bulldog and bring founder Newts on board as director of esports

X7 Esports, the Isle of Man’s first professional esports organisation, have acquired UK organisation Bulldog Esports.

Bulldog founder Tony ‘Newts’ Newton has also joined X7 as director of esports.

In an announcement post, X7 said they were on the lookout for ‘someone with expertise, who was passionate about the development of both their players and staff, and a brand which brought with it a wider community of people’.

“After careful deliberation, with a combination of almost 10 years experience in the UK esports scene and the history which had been created at Bulldog Esports, we strongly believe Tony will make a great addition to the support infrastructure at X7, and help develop our teams to a whole new level,” X7 said in a statement.

The news comes a few months after X7 received funding from Digital Isle of Man, part of the Government’s Department for Enterprise.

X7 made their debut during the League of Legends UKEL and recently finished fourth, before exiting the playoffs in the lower bracket.

Bulldog have been a solid name in League of Legends and UK esports for a number of years now. According to their LinkedIn page they were established back in 2014.

Newts said: “For years I’ve been looking to work with someone with a strong interest and understanding of the business world, to compliment my passion and knowledge of the esports scene. I’ve always believed that was the missing piece of the puzzle, preventing me from pushing Bulldog on to the next level in esports.

“After spending some time speaking with Josh [Kingett, founder and CEO at X7], I noticed we had a lot of shared beliefs about how an organisation should run and treat its members. I honestly believe we will make a great team moving forward and and be able to not only contest for accolades in esports, but also provide a nurturing environment for our players and staff to develop.”

Newts told Esports News UK: “I’m excited for what the future holds and I just want to thank everyone who has been a part of Bulldog over the years. There are far too many to name, from players, staff and designers to the people who have bought our jerseys and liked our tweets. I’ll forever be grateful.”

Newts added more info in this video.

Four years ago, Newts said he was looking for a co-owner in esports, and it seems now he’s found the partner he was looking for.

There’s been other mergers in UK esports this past year, including Resolve’s acquisition of Barrage and six UK orgs merging to form Coalesce Esports.

Further reading: Interview with Bulldog Esports founder Newts on his army background, playing without a coach and addressing toxicity

Dom is an award-winning writer who graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.

As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV as well as Riot Games and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Association up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and as an esports consultant helping brands and businesses better understand the industry.

Source: https://esports-news.co.uk/2021/09/05/x7-esports-acquire-bulldog-newts-director-of-esports/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=x7-esports-acquire-bulldog-newts-director-of-esports