Gentle Mates
Formerly | SBG |
|---|---|
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Esports |
| Founded 📆 | 2023 |
| Founder 👔 | |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , |
Area served 🗺️ | |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Gentle Mates (abbreviated as M8) is a professional esports organization based in France. It was established in Janaury 2023 as SBG before rebranding to its current name in April that same year.
As of 2026, Gentle Mates fields teams and sponsors players in Counter-Strike 2, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Warzone, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, 2XKO, Fortnite Battle Royale, Rocket League, and Age of Empires.
Divisions
Valorant
The organization's Valorant division was one of its founding divisions. In 2023, the team won the Ascension EMEA tournament, giving them a guest slot in the EMEA league of the Valorant Champions Tour.
In 2025, Gentle Mates placed 11th in championship points in VCT EMEA, automatically relegating the team back to Challengers.[1] However, following Movistar KOI's removal from the VCT, Gentle Mates was accepted as a new partner team for at least the 2026 season and their relegation was voided.[2] In the Kickoff stage of the 2026 VCT season, Gentle Mates beat Fnatic in the middle bracket finals to qualify for Valorant Masters Santiago 2026, their first VCT global event appearance.[3]
Rocket League
Gentle Mates entered Rocket League on 5 January 2024 through a partnership with the French sports car manufacturer Alpine.[4] The team saw instant success, winning the first Major of the 2024 RLCS season in Copenhagen, Denmark, and a top-four finish at the following Major in London, United Kingdom. In 2026, M8 won the first Major of the season in Boston, Massachusetts.[5]
Call of Duty
In December 2024, Gentle Mates acquired the Los Angeles Guerrillas franchise in the Call of Duty League, the team competed as Los Angeles Guerrillas M8 for the 2025 Call of Duty League season.[6] After the season, the team relocated to Paris, France, and were renamed the Paris Gentle Mates.[7]
Fortnite Battle Royale
On 8 April 2025, Gentle Mates established its Fortnite Battle Royale roster. On 8 September, two of the organization's players, SwizzY and Merstach, alongside Twisted Minds' Queasy won the 2025 FNCS Global Championship, which was hosted in M8's home country of France.[8]
Counter-Strike 2
On 25 August 2025, Gentle Mates entered Counter-Strike 2 with the acquisition of the Iberian Soul roster.[9][10]
References
- ↑ Maas, Lea (2025-08-08). "Gentle Mates suffers VCT EMEA relegation". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Sayal, Rabia (7 October 2025). "Gentle Mates replaces KOI in VCT EMEA until end of 2026". Esports Insider. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
- ↑ Gorlier, Mathéo (2026-02-16). "BBL Esports, Gentle Mates and Team Liquid Qualify to Represent VCT EMEA at Masters Santiago". Sheep Esports. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Gwynn, Dafydd (2024-01-05). "Alpine partners with Gentle Mates to form Rocket League team". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Mercer, Callum (2026-02-24). "Gentle Mates Crowned RLCS Boston Major 2026 Champions After Beating Vitality 4-2". Esports News UK. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Taylor-Hill, Grant (2024-12-05). "GENTLE MATES OFFICIALLY ENTERS COD LEAGUE WITH FULL ROSTER REVEAL". Insider Gaming. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Nicholson, Jonno (2025-11-27). "Gentle Mates relocates Call of Duty League franchise to Paris, unveils 2026 roster". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Morris, Joey (2025-09-08). "Queasy, SwizzY and Merstach win 2025 Fortnite Global Championship". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Morris, Daniel (2025-08-25). "Gentle Mates enter Counter-Strike scene with Iberian Soul CS2 roster". Hotspawn. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
- ↑ Maas, Lea (2025-08-26). "Gentle Mates expand into Counter-Strike 2 with Iberian Soul". Esports Insider. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
Template:Valorant Champions Tour EMEA
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