- In January, Swedish organization GODSENT made an unorthodox move by signing a Brazilian roster
- The organization’s co-CEOs spoke with Dexerto about the risks they took and the vision they have
- According to them, GODSENT’s long–term plan is to become a lifestyle brand like FaZe and 100 Thieves
GODSENT spoke about their decision to sign a Brazilian Counter-Strike team, the risks it entitled and their vision for the future.
The Unlikely Combo of a Swedish Org and Brazilian Team
At the beginning of 2021, Swedish professional esports organization GODSENT made a risky investment by signing a Brazilian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. Fast forward and the organization is glad that it did as the team currently ranks among the top 30 (sitting at the 23rd place). GODSENT’s two chief executives spoke with Dexerto about their experience.
Signing the Brazilian team was quite an unorthodox investment. Ludwig Sandgren, one of GODSENT’s co-CEOs, revealed that the organization didn’t have a clear intention of investing in the Brazilian market and it was rather an opportunity that presented itself at the right time.
“We had some different ideas, we explored other options as we were more of a European organization, but then this opportunity showed itself and we understood immediately that there was a lot of value to it,” Sandgren shared.
GODSENT envisioned a team of both seasoned veterans and budding talents. Henrik Denebrandt, one of the co-CEOs, explained that at first, it was a challenge to achieve synchrony between the members since most of them had never played together. However, the organization kept at it and eventually achieved success.
Denebrandt added that Brazil currently has one of the biggest Counter-Strike communities in the world.
“We instantly fell in love with the Brazilian community and we want to make a bigger impact than just on the HLTV ranking or the ESL World Ranking,” he said.
The Brazilian esports market is still young and doesn’t offer the same partnership value as its European counterpart, but Denebrandt is keen on keeping at it. The co-CEO thinks that even if Brazil isn’t as lucrative, the scale of the community is providing a lot of exposure that will play a huge part in the organization’s future.
Sandgren added on the topic by mentioning that even if the merchandise sells for lower prices in Brazil, there are a lot of fans who buy, which makes up for it. He revealed that GODSENT has recently had a wave of jersey pre-orders that has far exceeded the supply.
GODSENT Envisions Becoming a Global Gaming Lifestyle Brand
The organization currently plans on balancing between the profitable Europe and the promising Brazil. It plans to boost the appeal of its Brazilian team to a global level. This is easier said than done, because of the distances and the differences in culture. However, this isn’t going to stop the passionate GODSENT members. The organization currently sports offices in Sweden and Mexico (where the Brazilian CS:GO team is based) but plans to reach out to Asia as well, according to Denebrandt.
“That’s part of our expansion plans down the road. It’s very important to have boots on the ground in the areas you’re participating in. Hopefully, we can get something set up in Brazil as well, whether it’s a gaming center or a joint venture where we can interact more with fans.”
Sandgren revealed that the organization’s long-term goal is to become a lifestyle organization like FaZe and 100 Thieves and influence people beyond just entertaining them with gaming. GODSENT’s rising profits may soon permit something like that to happen. Denebrandt pointed to the numerous new partners that the organization has teamed up with.
The Brazilian market is still largely unexplored but recently numerous organizations, leagues and gaming companies have turned their gaze towards it. GODSENT is among the visionaries whose gamble is already paying off.
