Image credit: Jake Turney/Red Bull Content Pool
Earlier this year, I had the chance to attend Red Bull Wololo: Londinium at the Royal Albert Hall, where the best players from Age of Empires IV and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition went head-to-head in a glorious grand finals event.
I sat down with Danny Engels, Corporate Director of Global Operations for esports powerhouses Team Vitality, to chat about all things competitive gaming, looking at what it takes for a player to thrive and what folks might not know about working in the industry.
One of the grandest esports events yet
Red Bull Wololo: Londinium ran from April 1 to April 6, 2026, concluding with an exquisite grand finals event at the Royal Albert Hall. Featuring the final battle for both Age of Empires IV and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, it was a spectacle to behold as an esports geek.
Team Vitality had an exceptionally strong presence at the event, with both players in the Age of Empires II grand finals – Hera and Liereyy – representing the team.
I sat down with Danny Engels, Corporate Director of Global Operations for Team Vitality, to chat about how he’d found the event so far, with our conversation taking place just ahead of the epic grand finals match.
Engels remarked that he was utterly stunned by the venue, saying that it’d been an excellent choice from the event team.
I was inclined to agree – it’s certainly the grandest esports event I’ve ever seen, with the Royal Albert Hall being lit up in gorgeous neon lights and an orchestra playing alongside the matches, making for a cinematic experience.
Engels also added that it was exciting to see a grand final match with two of Team Vitality’s players, joking, “There’s nothing for me to lose, right? So, I’m definitely enjoying it.”
I wondered if he had a prediction for the final match – if you missed it, Hera claimed victory, but it was an exceptional performance from both him and Liereyy – and the director mused that both options could be bold, calling the result successful.
“Well, it feels like… if you want to be bold, you would say Liereyy. But it feels like everyone is starting to say that,” Engels answered, “Maybe the bold prediction for the day is Hera.”
“I have to say, hopefully both have fun, and we see 9 games because that’s probably what the game also deserves,” he added.
The match showed the sheer talent of both players, stretching over an hour; both Hera and Liereyy certainly did the game justice.
Behind the scenes in professional esports
Despite working in the wider gaming industry, the esports industry is still somewhat mysterious to me, and I was curious what a typical day in Engels’ life working for Team Vitality might look like.
“First of all, I don’t think there is a typical day,” he laughed, “Especially with my role really focused on our international business. My time zone spectrum, so to say, is just endless, right?”
Engels shared that when he wakes up, he typically has a few messages coming in from Indonesia, but that the day stretches all the way through to the end, giving the example of a 10 PM meeting that day with the Warzone team.
“So it’s definitely a huge spectrum, and rewarding at the same time because I get to work with so many different cultures and players,” he noted, “But I think if I would have to boil it down, it’s actually about identifying what are the ongoing topics and subjects to work on, making a plan throughout the day.”
Looking at what his favorite part of his role was, Engels picked out the esports themselves, reflecting on his history as a player, and describing being part of the industry as a blessing.
I noted that it must be satisfying to go from competing to seeing the sheer scale of esports in 2026, and he agreed, sharing that it hadn’t even been his initial plan.
“My career path, basically, I was a sim racer back in the day, so I did some racing games from 2007 to 2012,” Engels described, “And then I was like, okay, let me live a normal life.
“So I worked in IT, I started studying mathematics, I did my bachelor, and then out of nowhere…I got the call from old colleagues that wanted to build a sim racing project…One thing led to another, and then I’m now here, doing so many things for Vitality.”
We dug into the makeup of champions next, looking at what the most important traits for successful competitors are.
“Definitely the hunger to win, in a healthy way…,” Engels answered, “Because what I mean by healthy is that you really have to enjoy and love what you do, because otherwise you can’t really sustain the level of play for many, many years.
“So that’s exactly what we see in players like Hera and Liereyy here…They breathe the game, they think so much about the game. Some players, obviously, now the kids growing up kind of dream about making some money with esports, but it’s not about making money. It’s really about living your passion.
“…The very best in the game are not there for the money. They’re there because they love it so much.”
Red Bull Wololo: Londinium stands out as a highlight of my time in the esports world so far, and getting to chat with someone who’s so deeply entrenched in the industry was fascinating. Team Vitality features scores of talented players, so if you see them pop up in a championship, make sure to pay attention.
FAQs
Red Bull Wololo: Londinium took place from April 1 to April 6, 2026.
Both Age of Empires IV and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition were played at Red Bull Wololo: Londinium 2026.
Yes, it’s worth playing Age of Empires II in 2026. There’s a thriving community around the game, and there’s a mountain of content to get stuck into.
The best esports games will depend on your personal genre preference, generally, but some of the most popular include DOTA 2, League of Legends, VALORANT, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and World of Warcraft.
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