Gaming media company Kairos Group has announced it has acquired Manchester-based gaming and esports organisation Horizon Union.
As part of the deal, Horizon will be operated and managed out of Kairos Group’s Manchester base, which is located at Huckletree Ancoats.
The gaming and esports company, which was founded by Kieran Wood and Will Mollett in 2017, has over 35 creators who work alongside brands including GFUEL, Boost Gaming and ChampionUS.
Horizon entered into the esports space in January with the acquisition of esports team Top Dogs, and is focused on continuing to develop and nurture talent in the UK esports industry.
Kairos Group, which was founded in 2015, has offices in both London and Manchester as well as teams across Germany, France and the USA.
Horizon is the latest organisation to join the group, which is also home to Kairos Media, Kyma Media, Turopium Sports and Entertainment and Kairos Ventures, which works with brands including Facebook now known as Meta, Epic Games, KFC, JBL and Porsche.
Both Horizon co-founders worked at Kairos Media for two years alongside building the brand.
Kieran Wood, co-founder and operations and commercial lead at Horizon, said: “The level of progression and development from working at Kairos Media and Horizon simultaneously has worked hand in hand to creating a sustainable and profitable organisation in Horizon.
“I could not be prouder of what we’ve achieved so far but we’ve still got a long way to go. Horizon’s future is looking very strong, with even more partners and creators joining and more esports ventures in the pipeline and we can’t wait to begin this next phase under the Kairos Group umbrella.”
Drew Townley, CGO of Kairos Group and managing director of Kairos Media, added: “Will and Kieran have been some of the brightest minds and hardest workers at Kairos Media since they joined. The opportunity for Kairos Group to support a journey, that I have no doubt they would have excelled at regardless, was too good to turn down.
“It adds a completely new pillar to the Group with a gaming organisation itself, with ambitions to do esports the right way in the UK and beyond.”
