4Kings
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| Short name | 4K |
|---|---|
| Divisions | Call 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 |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Disbanded | 2013 |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Manager | Andreas "Fisk" Johansson Philip Wride Zommy |
4Kings or Four Kings was a professional esports organization established in 1997 and based in the United Kingdom.[1] It was operated by 4K UK Ltd and managed by Toby Aldridge. The organization was 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 Grubby Schenkhuizen and Yoan "ToD" Merlo was dissolved due to financial problems.
History
[edit]Established in 1997, 4Kings was formed as a Quake 1 clan playing in the QuakeWorld client.
Under the management of "Zommy", the clan expanded into games such as Quake III, Warcraft III, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and Counter-Strike, becoming one of the well-known esports teams of its time.
After being sponsored by Intel for six years,[1] 4Kings gained a new main sponsor in 2008 with Packard Bell.[3]
In July 2008, the signing of a Finnish Counter-Strike team signalled the clan's return to the global market.[4]
Following sponsorship changes and internal restructuring, several teams left the organization, and management was replaced in 2009.
The organization gradually became inactive and has not operated since the end of 2013, and its official website is no longer active.
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 Storm.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ward, Mark (4 July 2003). "UK gamers shoot for a million". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ "Four Kings – Gaming Royalty". 22 July 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Packard Bell press releases". 23 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Four Kings – Gaming Royalty". 19 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "The rise and fall of Four Kings". SK Gaming. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
External links
[edit]- Archived official website (via Wayback Machine)
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- 1997 establishments in England
- 2013 disestablishments in England
- Esports teams based in England
- Defunct and inactive Counter-Strike teams
- Defunct and inactive FIFA (video game series) teams
- Quake (series) teams
- Warcraft III teams
- World of Warcraft teams
- Esports teams established in 1997
- Esports teams disestablished in 2013
- Esports organization stubs
- British sport stubs