Limit to Join Team Liquid

By Hulahoops — Jan 23 2022 01:04 +06

As 2021 came to an end, so too did the partnership between Limit and Complexity Gaming. The US-based Guild and the Dallas-based esports organization announced they were parting ways on December 22, 2022.

Since that day, the WoW community has been full of rampant (and sometimes ridiculous) speculation about what is coming next for Limit. Not about to shy away from the gossip, Limit themselves enjoyed teasing and fooling everyone, even going so far as creating fake guilds in-game to throw off suspicion. Then there was even a brief stint in which they named themselves JG Beansworth — and oh, did they lean into that.

Everyone has been waiting with bated breath to learn what Limit’s plans are, and we are excited to help them spread the news, as today they have officially announced their brand new partnership with Team Liquid!

Who is Team Liquid?

Team Liquid was established in 2000 with grassroots beginnings as a Battle.net clan and StarCraft community site, and has grown into a world renowned and global professional gaming organization. With over 120 athletes in 15 major esports titles, Team Liquid’s collective teams have won the most prize money in the history of esports.

Not only has Team Liquid pushed the envelope on the competitive side of esports, but they are also a media enterprise working within the gaming industry. Under the Team Liquid banner is 1UP Studios — a full service video production company, Liquid Media — an influencer management agency managing some of the gaming world’s most popular names, and Liquipedia — a wiki network that has become the most widely used resource in all of esports.

Team Liquid has headquarters in Santa Monica, CA, and Utrecht, The Netherlands, at the Alienware Training Facility.

Liquid MMO

Team Liquid’s acquisition of Limit — accounting for over 40 players, coaches, and staff — is their first big step into the world of MMORPGs. This new branch of the esports organization will be known as Liquid MMO and will be tackling not just World of Warcraft, but also other games within the immensely popular genre, such as Final Fantasy XIV and whatever Riot ends up bringing to the table. Team Liquid is investing heavily into this new gaming vertical of Liquid MMO, bringing on players, content creators, staff, and more. In fact, the leader of Limit, Max “Maximum” Smith, will be acquiring an equity position in Team Liquid as part of this partnership, becoming a minority owner and will be in charge of overseeing how Team Liquid navigates the MMO space.

“When Team Liquid enters a new space, we do so intending to be the best. We maintained that philosophy with MMOS - wanting to work with the best to achieve competitive greatness. With Max and Limit, we found not only an excellent team with a proven track record, but an authentic group of individuals who pursue greatness with integrity, aligning perfectly with Team Liquid’s values as an organization.”

— Steve Arhancet, Co-CEO of Team Liquid

Rebranding

Limit was founded by Max and others on March 2, 2015. Since then, they have become one of the most popular raiding guilds in the world, earning back-to-back World First Championships in Ny’alotha and Castle Nathria, and amassing over 30 million hours of Twitch viewership during Race to World First events.

Under the Complexity partnership, the guild retained their Limit branding, becoming Complexity-Limit, but it is now time for them to shed the name as they become the central force behind Liquid MMO. The guild will now be known as <LIQUID> in-game!

We’re a little happier to report this name change, as opposed to JG Beansworth…

“As someone with a history in this genre, it’s amazing to see Liquid MMO finally take flight. We have been evaluating this for many months from a brand, commercial and athletic perspective. Bringing on board Max and team involved a sizable long term investment into a whole new ecosystem for Liquid and we are excited to grow this venture as we race for world firsts in World of Warcraft and new titles on the horizon.”

— Mike Milanov, Chief Business Development Officer for Team Liquid

Race to World First

Patch 9.2 is swiftly approaching and, with it, another Race to World First (RWF)! We are excited to report that Team Liquid is planning an expansive, upgraded RWF broadcast for Sepulcher of the First Ones. With over 35 raiders and staff on-location, every boss attempt will be showcased as the team races against Echo and the other best guilds in the world, all under their new banner.

Team Liquid is expected to release more details about their plans for the 9.2 RWF in the next few weeks, including venue, casters, and more!

“Couldn’t be happier to join Team Liquid. From the start, everyone at TL impressed us with their professionalism, their commitment to winning, their global presence and vision for expansion in MMOs. They’ve entrusted me with minority ownership of the company, a huge honor and responsibility I won’t take for granted.”

— Max “Maximum” Smith, Guild Leader

Real Change Where it’s Needed

“Team Liquid places a high premium on diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and justice in the esports and gaming space, and we’re going to apply those values throughout Liquid MMO. We have a tremendous opportunity to elevate marginalized voices by creating safer, more empathetic communities within the MMOs we enter. It’s a priority for Team Liquid to lay the groundwork for more women to earn top flight competitive opportunities, and at the very least, play in a space free from harassment and toxicity.”

— Claire Hungate, President and COO of Team Liquid

The WoW community and the gaming industry at large have been the scene of some pretty hard times lately. As more minorities work to make their way through this world, reports of harassment and abuse have come to light. Team Liquid is an esports organization willing and ready to tackle this issue head-on, and we are thrilled to share that they have already begun working on it within the World of Warcraft community.

Team Liquid recognizes the opportunity before them to extend their leadership and ethos into the global MMO ecosystem through the new Liquid MMO pillar of their organization. They are eager to apply Team Liquid’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and justice to both their short term and long term plans. In addition to her responsibilities as Liquid MMO General Manager, Azorea will be spearheading the creation of an advisory council of women in the World of Warcraft space, aimed at developing resources and strategies that enable more women to grow as expert players. With Azorea’s expertise and passion, Team Liquid will identify Cutting Edge raiding guilds led by women to shine a light on their communities, offer mentorship and create safer spaces for women to thrive.

This is an initiative long-needed in our community, and we cannot fully describe how excited we are to see it come to fruition!

“I have always been passionate about diversity and inclusion in the Warcraft community. It's so exciting to now have the opportunity and resources to make a significant impact in a space that means so much to me!”

— Azorea, General Manager of Liquid MMO

Even More to Come

Team Liquid has made it clear that they have no plans of slowing down and will be working hard to blaze a new path in the MMO space. They still have plans to bring Liquid MMO into the PvP scene, into future game titles, and to truly involve the community in the Liquid MMO experience. Team Liquid is in this for the long haul, and they cannot wait to work with more folks who share their beliefs in the industry.

This injection of some new blood in the World of Warcraft space could really shake things up for the better. We here at Raider.IO are beyond excited at what this will mean for WoW Esports, the RWF, and the community at large!

About the Author

Hulahoops has been playing WoW since Vanilla. She has recently shelved Retail to go back and re-experience TBC in all its glory, but will one day make her way back to the Shadowlands. In her hey-day, Hulahoops could be found raid-leading in Mythic Progression, or competing in the MDI with her team Angry Toast. Hulahoops is a Holy Paladin in every sense of the term: she moderates the Hammer of Wrath Paladin Class Discord, and she was a practicing Lawyer for 7 years. Judgment isn't just a spell! Hulahoops decided to put the law books away and follow her passion for gaming and esports by joining the team at Raider.IO. In her capacity as General Manager, Hulahoops oversees events, content, and more!