Jens Hilgers is one of the most prolific names in esports, with a career spanning over 27 years. Jens has founded a remarkable portfolio of iconic companies that have played a crucial role in shaping esports.

Jens’ passion for video games started on his friend’s C64 and his own Commodore Amiga 35 years ago. 

His vision of esports formed ten years later amidst the emergence of networked multiplayer games, most notably the shooter Quake. These new titles elevated gaming into an inclusive platform and global community, enabling decentralised competition and collaboration.

His career started in 1997 with the launch of Gamers Network from his apartment in Cologne. The network featured 140 websites, including gamers.de, Deutsche Clan League, leaguez.com, gameservers.com, lanparty.com, and many more. Gamers Network supported LANs and local events that laid the groundwork for modern-day esports competitions and served the online gaming community and the very first generation of esports enthusiasts.

Jens entrepreneurial spirit continued. He co-founded Turtle Entertainment in 2000 to succeed Gamers Network, with a clear objective of building out the global League for Videogamers. Now recognised worldwide as the “Electronic Sports League” or “ESL”, he served as the Founding CEO and later Chairman for a combined tenure of 15 years. 

ESL set the standard for competitive gaming and was one of the highest-traffic platforms in esports and gaming. Under his leadership, ESL expanded throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, launched ESL-TV, and launched the first 24/7 esports TV station outside Korea: GIGA TV. ESL built an International footprint and, globally, one of, if not the biggest leagues in esports. 

Jens’ clear message for the esports industry is that esports will rise, companies can be built, and success is achievable if you follow your passion and vision with persistence and the right values. 

Preferring to work behind the scenes throughout his career, Jens has been living by the mantra actions-speak-louder-then-words. 

Jen’s work is worth studying. From ESL to Giga Digital Television, The Esports Observer, Bayes Esports, G2 Esports, and leading Games Investment Platform BITKRAFT Ventures, he has played a crucial role in shaping the esports ecosystem by developing industry-defining companies across the entire global esports ecosystem.

With incredible achievements backed by an unwavering dedication, Jens Hilgers is a visionary architect of esports, transforming passion into a thriving industry and inspiring future generations to play, compete, build and innovate.