G2 Esports is one of the most successful esports organisations in Europe, having won the League of Legends European Championships eight times. This new all-female team, known as G2 Gozen, includes prominent female esports players Juia “Juliano” Kiran, Michaela “Mimi” Lintrup, Zainab “zAAz” Turkie, Petra “Petra” Stoker and Anja “aNNja” Vasalic. G2’s aim is to support both men and women in esports to eventually compete in mixed leagues, hiring the best talent irrespective of gender identity. However, with so little female representation in esports, all-female teams are required to boost visibility. Says Team Captain Julia ‘juliano’ Kiran: “Many people argue that there is no difference between being a woman and a man in terms of skill and they question why there are no women on the top level. However, they are unaware that women make up such a small percentage of the industry. “Competing as a woman within this industry means you have to deal with a lot of bullying and a lot of things that men don’t have to deal with, and it can be unnerving.” “To me they aren’t a female team, they are our Valorant team,” says Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of G2 Esports. “At G2, we build teams and bring in players based on skill and brand fit. These are amongst the best female players in the world and we’re proud to have them. We’ll support them all the way, as we support all our teams, and look forward to seeing them grow and kick some ass as part of the G2 army.” G2 began in 2014 and has been winning tournaments ever since, with teams playing the likes of League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Apex Legends.
