G2 Esports on Working with Warner Bros. and Navigating Creative Logistics In-House

G2 Esports is a global esports and entertainment brand that's setting new standards within the industry with its in-house production model.

Under the guidance of Erwin Del Castillo, head of consumer products, G2 has successfully launched high-profile collections like the G2 x Batman Capsule, maintaining complete creative control while collaborating with external production partners. 

With a streamlined approach to design and development, the brand stays ahead of the game by balancing internal expertise and external partnerships. LBB’s Olivia Atkins speaks to Erwin to find out what managing the majority of product development in-house actually looks like and how taking the creative in-house allows for greater creative flexibility, faster decision-making, and more consistent brand alignment.

"The fact that we are in control of the majority of our product development process helps us consolidate decisions but also make sure that we put a lot of thought into the brand equity and our overall strategy when it comes to consumer products," says Erwin.

Handling everything internally -- from concept ideation and design creation, to sampling and warehousing -- Erwin reveals that it's only in production that the brand works with suppliers. Everything else is handled in-house.

"This internal control helps us streamline decisions and ensure that G2’s consumer products align with the brand’s overall strategy,” he adds.

This approach allows G2 to ensure that collaborative efforts are precise while ensuring that an internal team is responsible for the full execution and development of brand products. 

The G2 x Batman Capsule streetwear collection is an example of how the brand works with external partners. In this case, Erwin reveals that they handled production in-house to maintain overall creative control. 

“We needed to make sure that the product came out exactly the way we wanted it to,” says Erwin. "So, we worked hand-in-hand with Warner Bros. to coordinate the assets, the marketing and the brand collaboration."

Because G2 has such a loyal fan and consumer base, acting collaboratively and in this way meant that the brand could take decisions as a group, while also keeping stakeholders from other teams involved across all stages. This mixed approach meant that G2 could also align efforts with Warner Bros. while retaining oversight on the design process. Though G2 do work with a number of network suppliers across product categories as they do not have their own production facilities.

This hybrid approach is exemplary of the sort of collaborations G2 takes on. "It’s a combination of both," Erwin explains. "We work closely with our partners to make sure we’re aligned on the strategy and execution, but we also operate independently while the process is taking place."

He says that communication is key to ensuring that all stakeholders remain on the same page and all goals are met.

Navigating Challenges with an In-House Team

Producing limited-edition collections like the Batman Capsule Collection comes with its fair share of challenges. "Logistics were definitely the biggest challenge, both for marketing as well as the actual sales," says Erwin.

The team had to meticulously plan and co-ordinate photoshoots in multiple locations, navigate customs challenges, and organise accompanying pop-up events. But having an experienced and robust in-house team helped with quickly finding solutions and ensuring a smooth delivery of the launch.

G2’s in-house production team handles much of the brand’s content creation, such as campaign visuals and product photography. However, the team does sometimes bring on external freelancers if the project is particularly complex or requires regional support. The flexibility of using both in-house talent and external partners allows G2 to maintain control while also choosing when to benefit from getting additional expertise in.

"There’s benefit to both sides," says Erwin. "If it’s all done in-house then we have full control and even with tight deadlines, we can solve things internally very quickly. If things are outsourced, then other expertise can be used and the internal team can cover other tasks or projects in that time." 

Attracting Creative Talent in a Competitive Industry

As esports brands increasingly adopt in-house production models, attracting top creative talent is crucial to staying competitive. “We’ve set a standard internally to be innovators and to push boundaries within the space, so [we try] never do things for the sake of it or to recycle old ideas," Erwin says. This relentless drive to be the best has positioned G2 at the forefront of the esports industry and contributed to high-profile collaborations such as the Batman capsule.

By managing much of the product development process internally, G2 Esports believes it can deliver high-quality, innovative products that resonate with fans. Its in-house approach is built to ensure it has creative control while also allowing the brand to navigate challenges with agility and efficiency, while proving its competence to do so.