4Kings
Short name4K^
DivisionsCall of Duty
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Source
FIFA
Quake
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Shootmania
Team Fortress 2
Unreal Tournament 3
Warcraft III
World of Warcraft
Founded1997 (1997)
LocationUnited States

4Kings or Four Kings is a professional esports organization established in 1997 and based in the United Kingdom Bought and now running in United States .[1] The organisation has been recognised as a British flagship clan since its founding. It was operated by 4K UK Ltd and managed by Toby Aldridge. 4K is particularly known for its Warcraft III team, which won the ESL WC3L Series on four occasions.[2] In late 2007, the section that signed players such as Warcraft III player, Grubby Schenkhuizen and Yoan "ToD" Merlo was dissolved due to financial problems.

History

Established in 1997, 4Kings was formed as Quake 1 clan playing in the QuakeWorld client.

Under the management of "Zommy" the clan grew expanding into new games such as Quake III, Warcraft III, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Counter-Strike be one of the most recognised esports teams in the world at the time.

After being sponsored by processor manufacturer Intel for six years,[1] 4Kings gained a new main sponsor in 2008 with Packard Bell. This marked a shift in focus to Britain.[3]

In July 2008, the signing of a Finnish Counter-Strike team signalled the clan's return to the global market,[4] and was later followed by a successful Dutch Counter-Strike:Source team joining 4Kings. However, setbacks followed, with Packard Bell withdrawing their sponsorship.

Increasing numbers of teams fell apart or left the clan, leading to management being completely replaced in 2009. After this the Swede Andreas "Fisk" Johansson took responsibility for the former tranditional clan. A new start was planned by Fisk, with the aim of building on previous successes, though the clan has been inactive since the end of 2013, and the website four-kings.com no longer in operation.

The team had players competing in Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Quake III, Warcraft III, Unreal Tournament, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2 and Shootmania.[5] Across its history 4Kings was managed by members including Philip Wride, as well as Jason Potter.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 Ward, Mark (4 July 2003). "UK gamers shoot for a million". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Four Kings - Gaming Royalty". 2009-07-22. Archived from the original on 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  3. ↑ "Packard Bell press room press releases: latest news, press and company information". 2008-11-23. Archived from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  4. ↑ "Four Kings - Gaming Royalty". 2008-10-19. Archived from the original on 2008-10-19. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  5. ↑ "SK Gaming | Content: The rise and fall of Four Kings". www.sk-gaming.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  6. ↑ Ward, Mark (3 October 2007). "Are games about to hit prime time?". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Gaming Gaffa: How do you run an eSport team?". Red Bull. Retrieved 2021-03-18.


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