“The local team” is a staple of stick-and-ball sports, but only a growing curiosity within the landscape of professional video gaming. The history of Counter-Strike , in particular, is filled with teams who met and found fame over a shared nationality, but only a few can actually claim a city to their name. Enter Berlin International Gaming (BIG) —a German organization that recently ignited a fervour of frenzied support during its ESL Cologne finals run.

“For me personally, it was the best experience in my esports career, and also the best experience since we created BIG,” the clan’s CEO Daniel Finkler tells The Esports Observer. “The people cheered for us, pushed us really hard, and you could feel the energy inside the arena.”

Though eventually bested by Natus Vincere in the finals, BIG’s run in the tournament—often referred to as the Cathedral of Counter-Strike—was a breakthrough moment for the esports brand, itself just a little over two years old. It followed a first place finish at the ESL Meisterschaft [Germany’s top CS competition] last Spring, with the team achieving “legend” status after a perfect group stage run in the subsequent PGL Major 2017.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The people cheered for us, pushed us really hard, and you could feel the energy inside the arena.”[/perfectpullquote]

“To be honest, on a national level, we see ourselves as the dominant force in Germany,” says Finkler. “We are by far the best German team, and on an international level our players are capable of winning against every top team out there—online as well as offline. I wouldn’t consider us an underdog.”

BIG Clan was co-launched in January 2017 by both Finkler, and Yilmaz Ozan, founder of the German esports organization mousesports . “He is an icon in this industry,” says Finkler. “We had a joint vision about how to create a leading global esport brand and I’m happy to work with one of the most experienced guys in this branch.”

Ozan’s role as co-founder extends well beyond the management of the team. His wife Nuran Ozan is the organization’s chief health officer, and the player’s have publicly spoken before about the role she plays taking care of them in Berlin. “The close relationship to our players is something which makes us strong,” says Finkler. “She’s one of the main reasons why we improved a lot in the second quarter of 2018. The general well-being of players is a key to success.”

Image Credit: ESL



In front of the keyboard, the founding players of BIG were also a mix of mousesports alumni: Fatih “gob b” Dayik, the first German to sign a full-time Counter-Strike: Global Offensive contract, alongside Nikola “LEGIJA” Ninić and Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz. This trio formed BIG just after their release from NRG Esports , with their contract agreements extending to the ownership structure of the organization.

“Some of the players from the beginning have stakes,” says Finkler. “This was quite important for us, as they are not only players, they are a real part of BIG.We share every detail with them, about sponsorships, what to do in the future, getting new teams. It’s also their investment. So, say we want to enter League of Legends , but it costs a certain amount of money, do you agree with us or not?”

As co-owners, Finkler and Ozan supported the organization from the beginning with their own investments, but escalated the business with financial backing from esports betting company Unikrn . The firm accompanied its support with advice on business development, sponsorship acquisition, and general marketing. Unikrn itself was a former backer of mousesports, but has previously stated that it looked for other opportunities when “sponsorship negotiations fell through.”

“Rahul Sood is another gaming icon,” says Finkler. “He founded VoodooPC, which was sold to HP. He’s extremely experienced, and he brings a lot of knowledge to BIG. Our direct communication partner there is Tom Lemke [Unikrn’s GM of Business development and partnerships, and a co-founder of both BIG and mousesports]. He works for Unikrn in a management role, and he is also quite important for the organization.”

As a business, BIG’s expansion has included sponsorship agreements with various gaming brands, including Corsair, Noblechairs, and, most recently, Omen by HP. “Managing the significant growth of our company is a challenge, like in every other industry,” says Finkler. “We’re not a small business anymore.”

[perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Some of the players from the beginning have stakes. This was quite important for us, as they are not only players, they are a real part of BIG.”[/perfectpullquote]

Related Article: Counter-Strike Professional Players’ Association Forms Board of Top Players

An area the team’s CEO outlines for development is a training centre. These are all the rage in esports right now, and while they offer more potential for longterm sponsors and company infrastructure, they are in many ways trying to rectify the longstanding problems posed by the “gaming house.”

“In general, esport teams will have training centres, and players will live separately, because it creates a lot of stress and arguments if players live together for too long,” explains Finkler. “Something we’re doing now is to give the players more freedom to travel back to their families. As esports is also an online business, you are able to play from everywhere, and this enables players to play where they feel most comfortable.”

An example of this is BIG’s only non-German CS:GO player, Owen “smooya” Butterfield. Having signed to BIG in April 2018, the team was able to adapt to English-language training pretty easily for the sake of the British AWPer [a player who specializes in the game’s magnum sniper rifle]. This owes to the fact that many of BIG’s players were previously on international rosters. However, Finkler explains that, as an online business, esports at least affords smooya the chance to practice remotely, if need be.

“He’s 18 right now and extremely talented. NiKo [a FaZe Clan player previously signed to mousesports] was also 18 when I first met him. Two years later, Niko is an international star and surely one of the best players. I’m confident that smooya will be considered as one of the best worldwide in the next two years.”

Now competing in six games, including Fortnite , FIFA , and League of Legends, Finkler says the organization’s mid-term goals the launch of its training center, and a reinforcement of internal staff. “It’s our goal to maintain our leading position in Germany,” concludes Finkler. “We have everything it takes to stay at the top for years, and we’ll do everything to ensure it stays that way.”