An undetermined number of layoffs have hit Boston-based Oxygen Esports, owners of the Call of Duty League team Boston Breach, LAN centers Helix eSports, and teams in Valorant, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege. Multiple employees took to social media on Wednesday and Thursday to say that they had been laid off from various divisions, though the exact number of affected employees is unknown, as of this writing.
The Esports Advocate reached out to Oxygen Esports executives last week for comment, following news that the company had temporarily furloughed employees ahead of a meeting with its partner, Kraft Group, which owns the CDL slot and was funding its other esports teams. According to those reports, the Kraft Group was planning on ending its funding of esports through its partnership with Oxygen.
Oxygen’s troubles first came to light on Aug. 6, when it was revealed that ShiftRLE had to cancel its Rocket League esports competition, the Shift Summer League Playoffs, at the last minute:
For Transparency:
We (admins/production/staff) were promised to be paid for working this event. We only found out today (along with Shift) that @OXG_Esports is refusing to pay us. Not only that, but they told us to continue working for free https://t.co/QfsYOrZJ4U
— Luke / Husky (@RIVALhusk) August 6, 2024
TEA has also learned that its Helix eSports centers in North Bergen, New Jersey, and at Patriot’s Place (which is located near the New England Patriots home at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts) have been shut down for a little over a week. The Patriot’s Place location served as the official practice facility of the Boston Uprising (now defunct), Boston Breach, and other Oxygen Esports teams.
Sources tell TEA that representatives from the company have been quietly trying to sell equipment from its Helix locations.
Oxygen’s Boston Breach social media account appears to be active, and the team recently returned following competition at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While the fate of its esports teams remains uncertain, at least one former employee says that its esports plans in Valorant are over:
Very sad to announce that OXG has pulled out of Valorant. Therefore, I am now looking for social media work opportunities in Esports.
Work portfolio available upon request. 💗
— iszy (@iszynokizzy) August 29, 2024
I am no longer with @OXG_Esports.
I appreciate and love the time I had together with all the guys, we really did give it all together and moved forward on all fronts.
I want to say thank you to @OXG_ADAM for the trust you had in me and the entire team as a project.
— bonkar (@Officialbonkar) August 29, 2024
Several reports have suggested that the organization will continue to operate its CDL franchise, but the fate of the rest of the company remains uncertain. TEA could not independently verify the veracity of these reports about Oxygen’s current fate or financial situation.
This is a developing story…