Kieran Holmes-Darby to depart from Excel Esports

Excel Esports co-founder Kieran Holmes-Darby will “no longer be an employee” of the organization, he announced today in a YouTube video.

“As of today, I don’t know what my ongoing relationship with the Excel brand will look like as that depends on a few things, but expect some official communication on that in due course,” Holmes-Darby said. “All that is left to say, for now, is thank you.”

Excel was founded in 2014 by Holmes-Darby and his brother, Joel, who departed from the organization in December 2020. In 2015, Excel began its journey at the first Call of Duty Am2Pro tournament, where the team secured a top-12 finish. The org saw success in Black Ops III when the roster of Nolson, Braaain, QwiKeR, and Zed qualified for the Call of Duty EU Pro Division 2016. In April 2016, Excel departed the Call of Duty scene and sold its team to HyperGames. The org made a reappearance during the WWII season and was represented during the CWL Dallas Open and CWL New Orleans Open.

The organization is notably one of the U.K.’s largest and most well-known organizations within the esports industry, having been accepted into the LEC in 2018. In the same year, it launched a documentary with BBC Three that showcased behind-the-scenes footage of Excel’s League of Legends team. The org has also acquired professional teams in FIFA, VALORANT, and Fortnite.

“The greatest business partner I could ever have dreamed of,” Joel Holmes-Darby said of his brother’s departure. “Will forever be proud of what we achieved in starting @EXCEL and building it together with some of our closest friends.” Joel also left a hint in a separate tweet, saying that he and Kieran may “reunite for a new venture” in the future.