How Project Eris overcame sponsorship crisis through community support and ethical leadership in women’s esports
What is Project Eris?
Project Eris stands as a groundbreaking competitive Rainbow Six Siege league exclusively designed for women players seeking professional gaming opportunities. This innovative initiative fills a critical gap in esports by creating dedicated competitive pathways for underrepresented groups.
The all-women Rainbow Six league Project Eris demonstrated remarkable resilience when the community rallied to raise over $1,600 within a single hour after severing connections with their founding organization due to controversial social media posts from the sponsor’s chief operating officer.
Originally conceived as an inclusive competitive environment for women in Rainbow Six Siege, Project Eris gained backing from prominent industry supporters including hardware giant Razer and respected caster Jessica ‘JessGOAT’ Bolden, who brought substantial credibility to the venture.
Project Eris operates as a Rainbow Six Siege competition open exclusively to players identifying as women. Launched initially in early 2021 under Slaughter House (SH) Esports management, the project transformed into an independent entity when co-founder Kyndal ‘Astraea’ Brizendine departed the organization while retaining the Project Eris concept. During this transition, SH Esports maintained control over all league funds while Astraea and co-founder Chantelle ‘Ginger’ Marshall established a formal LLC structure for the competition.
Additional sponsorship support came from technology corporation Razer and Rainbow Six Siege personality Jessica ‘JessGOAT’ Bolden, who contributed both as caster and former coach.
The SH Esports Controversy
The league encountered significant challenges after terminating their relationship with primary sponsor SH Esports following anti-abortion and transphobic tweets published by the organization’s co-founder and COO. SH Esports responded by withholding their committed $1,500 tournament sponsorship payment.
Project Eris launched its first competitive season on August 26, featuring SH Esports among participating teams. Despite announcing operational closure scheduled for November 2021 on August 1, SH Esports had secured a competitive roster to participate in the league they helped establish.
Four weeks into the season on September 18, Project Eris publicly announced via Twitter their decision to separate from SH Esports and remove the organization’s branding from all Project Eris promotional materials across Twitter and Twitch platforms.
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Everything we know about Rainbow Six Siege X
pic.twitter.com/dgA5Pdxkjo
— Project Eris 🪶 (@Project_Eris) September 18, 2021
This separation resulted from comments made by SH Esports co-founder and COO Beau ‘TEXN’ Davies on Twitter. Both Astraea and JessGOAT confirmed through Dexerto communications that the problematic tweets involved TEXN’s endorsement of the recently enacted Texas abortion legislation along with verified transphobic remarks.
“Our leadership team determined separation represented the optimal path forward given our core moral principles and organizational values,“ Astraea explained. “As a women-owned league, we function as a protected environment for women and LGBTQIA+ community members.
“Maintaining association with organizations that contradict our fundamental beliefs and ethical standards contradicts our mission. We serve diverse participants including non-cisgender players alongside talent, moderators, administrators, and staff identifying with LGBTQIA+ communities – these individuals constitute our extended family and community network whom we steadfastly support.“
Following Project Eris’s separation announcement, SH Esports informed league leadership they would not fulfill their $1,500 sponsorship commitment. JessGOAT verified to Dexerto that SH Esports consented to release remaining held funds, though this financial transfer remained pending with Project Eris awaiting receipt.
Community Response and Recovery
The Rainbow Six community demonstrated exceptional solidarity during the league’s financial crisis, contributing over $1,600 through crowdfunding within 45 minutes to replace the withheld sponsorship money designated for caster compensation and production expenses, ensuring the inaugural season proceeded without interruption.
The sponsorship fund withholding, intended for production cost coverage, presented Project Eris with three potential solutions.
“Our options included reducing prize pool allocations, personally subsidizing the missing investment from my own resources, or pursuing crowdfunding to recover the funds,” JessGOAT stated.
Project Eris initiated a GoFundMe campaign on September 19 that accumulated nearly $1,700 within sixty minutes. JessGOAT shared a gratitude video on Twitter acknowledging community support.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I cannot thank the community and all my colleagues over at @Project_Eris for helping pick our league straight back up and running. I cannot even begin to form words of gratitude to you all. Just know I’ll have a cry later 😭♥️ https://t.co/vmGYpLz8Bn pic.twitter.com/VdPBOpse7w
— Jess🐐 | 🔜 Manchester Major 🏆 (@JessGOAT) September 18, 2021
Astraea expressed similar appreciation during her Dexerto interview.
“Our entire staff expresses profound gratitude for community outreach efforts and individuals who stepped forward to help recover funds originally promised by SH,“ she noted. “We remain committed to supporting both our internal team and those who view us as their competitive home.
“Project Eris was conceived as a foundational community pillar addressing historical gaps in women and LGBTQIA+ celebration. We refuse to let this setback hinder our progress and eagerly anticipate revealing our upcoming year’s planned initiatives.“
The competitive roster originally acquired by SH Esports for the Project Eris season dissolved ties with the organization, rebranding as ‘Jarrison Fan Club’ preceding the season’s fifth week commencing September 23.
Utilizing the crowdfunded resources, the league continues progressing toward its October 31 championship finale.
Lessons for Esports Organizations
The Project Eris situation provides critical insights for esports organizations navigating sponsor relationships and community crises. Key takeaways include establishing clear ethical guidelines during sponsorship negotiations, maintaining transparent communication with community stakeholders during challenging situations, and developing contingency funding plans for unexpected financial shortfalls.
Organizations should carefully vet potential sponsors’ public statements and social media histories to ensure alignment with core values. Creating emergency response protocols for sudden sponsor separations can minimize operational disruptions. Building strong community relationships before crises occur ensures support availability when needed most.
Project Eris demonstrates that maintaining organizational integrity while facing financial pressure can ultimately strengthen community bonds and enhance long-term sustainability. The rapid crowdfunding response highlights the value of cultivating genuine supporter relationships beyond transactional interactions.
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