UK esports organisation TENSTAR has ceased all operations, according to a company release posted on Friday.
The midlands-based organisation competed at a relatively high level in Rainbow Six: Siege and VALORANT. In Siege, it was a Challenger League team, placing second in the competition in December and taking home €10,000 (~£8,813). It also recently won the Contenders Legion: Athena Series, a VALORANT competition for female players.
Esports teams, especially mid-sized ones, are struggling to survive. Damningly, TENSTAR’s announcement demonstrated how a clear return on investment to potential suitors has been difficult.
The organisation wrote: “TENSTAR have had … extensive conversations with various Investment partners … The majority of those discussions require definitive Return on Investment projections. Which are difficult to produce and harder to prove in our two core titles, Rainbow Six: Siege and VALORANT.”
To make matters worse, TENSTAR also wrote: “Winning a [VALORANT Regional League] will barely generate enough revenue to pay one player, for one month. Completely unsustainable, without considerable third-party investment.”
The organisation and its sister company Adamo Gaming have been accused by some of not paying staff members. Some have started employment tribunals to be paid by the company, according to an Esports News UK report. TENSTAR’s release on Friday also stated that it still owes money to some players and staff.
The organisation was active in the UK education space. It had a partnership with SCL Enigmaz to deliver mentoring, coaching and competition services. SCL Enigmaz was founded by SCL Education, and offers various BTEC Level-2 and Level-3 college courses around the UK. TENSTAR also partnered with Acti-Fit in October 2021.
The organisation stated it will return when it is more able to sustain players and staff.
