Team Delirium CEO Targets Warzone Esports To Become UK Powerhouse
UK esports is growing at a rapid pace, with many organisations representing the country on a global stage. Whether it be League of Legends, VALORANT, or Call of Duty, the likes of Fnatic, Endpoint, and Guild Esports are flying the flag for Great Britain, proving that the homegrown talent has what it takes in the wider industry.
But now there is a new kid on the block, and Team Delirium are ready to capitalise on the rising Warzone esports scene to build an OpTic-esque brand and become one of the largest esports organisations in the world.
CEO Jack "Smurfy" began his career in esports in the early Call of Duty days, often competing in Gamebattles and graphic designing, all the while wanting to form his own team and organisation to represent.
Team Delirium was first more of a concept than a fruitful chink into the industry, but it was back in 2017 when the part-time graphic designer put ink on a blank canvas and birthed his idea.
"My goal was always to have a Call of Duty based organisation and team to be able to be passionate about," began Smurfy. "I tried many times when I was like 16 and 17 but they always flopped. But I always wanted to give it a good go with the right people around me.
"H1Z1 was the craze at the time. Everyone was playing it like "Ninja" and "Tfue", it was the hot game of 2017 and CoD was a bit stale at that point. So, I used to play it with some guys I knew from the CoD scene and we used to play every day and we thought we should make an esports team - but we needed a name.
"At the time my mum was hospitalised, and one of the side effects was delirium. So when I was speaking to the boys about it later that day I told them that I'd got a new team name, 'Delirium'. It was a bit like Luminosity, with a long adequate word, and people remember it."
Click to enlargeDespite being formed back in 2017, it wasn't until 2019 when Team Delirium actually kickstarted, thanks to yet another gaming craze: Fortnite.
The "enthusiasm" and "ambition" of the core Fortnite fan base reminded Smurfy of the original reason behind Team Delirium and after three years of dormancy, it was reborn from the ashes.
Alongside long-term friend "Ghoul" (also known as 'Slum' in the early CoD days), and recent recruit "Liquid" the three co-owners plunged Delirium into the deep end of Fortnite's tidal wave.
With the success of Fortnite, Delirium began recruiting a range of competitive players and streamers to their ranks, using Twitch and YouTube to elevate their status. Before long, their esports team had begun placing in the Cash Cups and putting Delirium on the map.
From an esports perspective though, Fortnite was never the be-all and end-all, despite the development of their brand within the game - it was all about Call of Duty.
Warzone's brand-new era of esports had gifted Smurfy with the perfect opportunity to enter his market, without having to pay the prices of the mainstream multiplayer Challengers fees and wages. As a new sub-franchise, Team Delirium was able to pick up a team, who are now one of the most successful teams around.
Many may not have heard of "Vapulear", "Lenun", and "LouiCM", with just 25,000 Twitter followers between them, but their success in Warzone is not to be underestimated. The deadly trio has already swept competitions aside with ease, such as the $75k Twitch Rivals in July, and a second-place at the most prestigious Warzone event in history: the World Series of Warzone.
Falling just short behind the team lead by London Royal Ravens' "Jukeyz", Team Delirium have showcased why they can be considered as early contenders for the best trio outside of the CDL.
Click to enlarge"I believe in Warzone, Battle Royales are the future. The CDL is way too segregated in CoD, we're never going to be able to get into that, so I thought if we're going to get into CoD it'll be through content creation, streaming, and competing in Warzone," Smurfy said.
The market in Warzone is becoming increasingly penetrable, and with one eye on esports, it's clear smurfy also wants to conquer the UK in terms of recognition too. With a background in graphics and music, the 24-year-old claimed: "I always wanted to be like OpTic H3CZ and have my own brand."
Click to enlargeWhen asked about his perfect business model, Smurfy continued: "it sounds generic, but probably 100 Thieves and FaZe. I think Delirium currently has a few aspects from all different types of organisations.
"We're not CDL equivalent - although we have players on the same level as CDL players on the Warzone side of things - but, looking at where we see ourselves in the market, I think our content creation is where we can capitalise.
"Especially within Europe and the UK, in Warzone, if you look at the CDL franchises, no-ones really expanding on the content that can be made, apart from a handful of content creators."
"I'm sure everyone's dream is to be like OpTic, but I think the way H3CZ does the IRL content like trivia and podcasts is good for the brand. Even if players leave you, know OpTic for their brand. I want that same essence in the UK."
For the future, Team Delirium's business model will rely on the Warzone trio's competitive ventures on top of their vastly growing network of streamers.
In 2021 alone, Team Delirium has nearly doubled their 30,000 followers on Twitter to 54,000, and have hit the monthly milestone of 10 million monthly views combined across their YouTube network. With 130,000 Twitch followers between their content creators, it's clear to see how the organisation is breeding on the Warzone train.
With a name that is defined by a disturbed state of mind and illusions, be rest assured, Team Delirium are not here to vanish from memory.