Team BDS is set to rebrand as Shifters, according to reporting by Sophie Marenne from the Swiss business magazine PME.
The first news regarding Team BDS’ rebranding came on June 30 when the Swiss esports organization released a post explaining their planned organizational changes, including a change of CEO, rebranding, the creation of a “socially driven entity focused on youth and hospitalized children” as well as the “inauguration of a new headquarters and gaming house in the heart of Geneva.”
With this rebranding, the Swiss esports organization will start a new chapter. The letters BDS—which stand for Patrice Bailo de Spoelberch, the team’s founder and former owner—will be dropped as this change will affect all of the team’s lineups, which currently includes Rainbow Six Siege, League of Legends, Call of Duty and online chess.
Sophie Marenne’s report includes quotes by the Swiss organization’s legal director, Jocelyn Roux. He revealed that “with this transformation, we want to give our team a stronger local anchoring.” The transition will coincide with the opening of a 730-square-meter headquarters in Geneva, located in the Bel-Air district.
Jocelyn Roux also revealed that the Swiss organization’s rebranding, including the visual redesign, logo, and color scheme, is expected to cost around 300,000 francs—around €320,000 at current rates. The team's new visual identity is still unknown.
PME’s article also reveals that the Swiss organization currently operates with an annual budget of 6 million francs, which is around €6.4M at current rates.
In 2024, Team BDS was highly successful across different esports titles, including a third-place finish in the Esports World Cup 2024 Club Championship, as well as the team’s performances in Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League. Only from their performances in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Swiss organization claimed almost USD$3M.
Still about the Esports World Cup, the team’s performance in Riyadh in 2024 saw them joining the Esports World Cup 2025 Club Program, a USD$20M program which offers selected clubs up to USD$1M in funding to “expand their brand and grow their global audience through innovative content and marketing campaigns leading up to and throughout the Esports World Cup 2025.”
The Swiss esports organization was also highly successful in Rainbow Six Siege’s BLAST circuit, reaching three international grand finals—including Manchester, Montreal, and the Six Invitational 2025—as well as back-to-back Europe League 2024 stage wins. In Rocket League, the team won the World Championship in September 2024. Meanwhile, although the team’s results haven’t been as strong in League of Legends, the organization gets revenue from Riot Games through the league’s revenue-sharing system.
Despite strong performances in esports competitions, 2024 ended dramatically for Team BDS as the organization’s board decided to part ways with the team’s founder and former CEO Patrice Bailo de Spoelberch after his disrespectful and highly controversial comment regarding women’s rights. Although he deleted his initial post and wrote an apology, the damage had already been done.
The Swiss esports organization is now looking into the future, with their diversifying plans including Call of Duty and online chess, as well as two additional projects, including a philanthropic initiative called Play and Share and a consulting branch to support Swiss and European brands.