HenryG hints at reviving iconic esports org 4Kings

Counter-Strike community figure Henry ‘HenryG’ Greer has dropped a strong hint that he will bring back 4Kings, a historical British esports organization.

The former CS:GO commentator caught the esports world by surprise on November 4 as he tweeted asking who held the rights to the iconic 4Kings name and brand.

In subsequent tweets, HenryG said “it would be a travesty if it [4Kings] never made it back” and that he’s working on securing the rights to the brand. “I’m on it,” he wrote.

Who were 4Kings?

Founded in 1997, 4Kings were one of the biggest and most successful multigaming organizations in Europe during the early years of esports. They were a founding member of the now-defunct G7 Teams, an association of esports organizations that competed in Counter-Strike.

Between 2001 and 2006, 4Kings were a regular presence in the biggest CS 1.6 tournaments and the home of players like Marc Mangiacapra, Ola ‘elemeNt’ Moum, Mattias ‘Snajdan’ Andersen, and Joona ‘natu’ Leppänen. Their British CS:Source squad, featuring HenryG himself, competed in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) under the London Mint franchise.

4Kings also boasted one of the best Warcraft 3 divisions in the world at one point, with players such as Manuel ‘Grubby’ Schenkhuizen, Yoan ‘ToD’ Merlo and Sebastian ‘FuRy’ Pesic all competing under their banner.

The last time the 4Kings name made headlines was in August 2013, when the organization parted ways with their CS:GO squad.

HenryG’s return to esports?

HenryG took a step back from esports earlier in 2021 following the disbandment of his Cloud9 ‘Colossus’ project. As the General Manager of the North American organization’s CS:GO division, he came under fire for the team’s lack of success.

Despite Cloud9’s sizable investment in the project, the team struggled to make their mark in the CS:GO scene and lasted only six months.

After disbanding the squad, the North American organization decided to put their CS:GO operations on hold, stating that “remote training isn’t conducive for building an organization in the way Cloud9 usually does”.