#03 - XSV to EGO

For years we'd been creating custom add-on kits for other company's markers. We'd designed our own custom versions of the industry's most popular markers to make them cooler and better and we even created amazing electro upgrades for mech markers to make them perform at incredible levels, but we'll go deeper into all of these milestones later in the series.

In 2004 we were finalising the development of something which defined us. Something that changed our path forever.

That something was the EGO. Our very first paintball marker that was designed and built from the ground up, by us. But we needed something else to help us show the world just how good it was.

"Our job is to give our teams the best possible tools to do the job, and that's what still drives us today." - Ledz (HMFIC Planet Eclipse)

We approached Rich Telford at the 2004 NPPL Denver event to see if he'd be interested in signing Team XSV up as a Planet Eclipse team and to be THE team to be associated with EGO. We already had a great relationship with the XSV crew and a few of them already shot our E-Blade cockers but we wanted them to completely switch to all EGOs. Now, pitching the EGO should have been easy. We'd designed, built and tested it and knew how awesome it was but the project was so Top Secret we couldn't risk anyone seeing it. So we didn't have anything to show the team. Not even a picture. They had to take our word for it and commit to using the EGOs blind. Which we knew was a big ask.

We still don't know who's silky smooth charm offensive made the difference or whether our reputation for being honest, genuine good guys who worked our asses off to make great products helped out (we still work hard to maintain this to this day) but Rich and the XSV crew agreed and went into 2005 as our first top tier sponsored team in the US,promoting and using our first ever wholly owned Eclipse paintball marker.

This was MASSIVE for us. XSV was a new team made up of popular and well established players from some of the biggest teams around, so they knew their stuff and for them to agree to use our new piece of kit was the ultimate seal of approval.

The partnership was perfect. XSV really hit the ground running and were a thorn in every team's side as they challenged hard at every event. They helped show off the EGO and what it was capable of in the right hands and we in turn promoted (hard) the EGO AND XSV, so it was a win-win all round. Being part of the growth of XSV and for them to be an integral part of the development of the EGO and it's popularity was an amazing time and meant a lot to us (and still does). XSV helped us as a company to focus on making the EGO better while they generated the hype for us and the marker on the field, with their trademark approach to going hard. Every, single, point. Without letting up.

"I look back on the creation of XSV, stepping out on our own and how that was an awesome, crazy and exhilarating time. At the same time Eclipse was coming out with the first EGO. Honestly it couldn't have been a better match for a team and company destined for greatness to have each other's back in an effort to make a mark on the paintball world, that would never be forgotten. As an individual I couldn't have been more honored to have been with Eclipse at the start of the EGO's legend!" - Thomas Taylor (XSV/Infamous)

Even when teams are no longer in our stable we still see them as family and although it saddened us to see the team finally bow out of the pro game we are happy to see the XSV program up and running again in the Divisional ranks. We're proud to say that we support the new wave XSV program and hopefully we'll see them back in the top flight going toe-to-toe with the best.

And still shooting Eclipse markers, of course.

We'd like to thank everyone who played for XSV at that special time and who helped us build the legend of the EGO. We'd also like to wish the new generation of XSV players all the best of luck going forward.

And yes. The next post will be all about our first. The EGO.

If you don't like the look of this XSV EGO then you haven't got a pulse.


If you wanna keep tabs on the team's progress check them out on Facebook 'HERE' and say hi for us.