50 years of DHL – This is only the beginning

A quite unique success story began in San Francisco, US in 1969. Since its very inception, DHL has constantly invested in innovative ideas and has sought to move into new territories throughout as now with esports. DHL has been the Official Logistics Partner of ESL (, the world’s largest esports company, for the past year.

As a Global partner of ESL One series, DHL is helping to shape the ever-growing esports market with millions of fans and active players. Whether it’s real-time strategy games like Dota 2 or tactical shooters like CS:GO, esports delivers world-class entertainment to its audience while demanding the utmost concentration, speed, tactical skill, and teamwork from its players.  Among other things, ESL organizes tournaments in all popular esports disciplines, which are broadcast across different platforms worldwide.

DHL has now been in existence for 50 years and has had a successful partnership with ESL for one year. To celebrate these special anniversaries, we shot a video, in which esports stars and influencers SirActionSlacks and Spunj go through DHL’s story in fast-forward mode and what’s more, we hid some interesting Easter Eggs for you to find. Did you see them all? If not, read through the following very carefully and watch the video again...

Dota fans are already familiar with SirActionSlacks, who has made a name for himself as a reporter, host and YouTube-favourite at countless Dota 2 tournaments around the world. He is also proud to accompany is buddy EffiBOT and can be seen in action himself at ESL One events.

You know Spunj as the well-versed and fun CS:GO analysist from down-under. He actually started his career as a pro-player with the Australian esports organization Renegades. Players and fans appreciate his in-depth analysis of the very strategic game play.

A journey back through time

In our video, we send our protagonists on a journey back through time, to 1969 which is the year DHL was founded. Right at the start, the two of them come across a cackling chicken that many gamers will already know from various CS:GO maps. The mountain next to them looks like Mount Rushmore at first, but if you look a little closer, you can see DHL’s three founding fathers – Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn – whose unique business idea was to send shipping documents out before the actual goods were delivered. This was the cornerstone behind the initial success of their express delivery service. In the background, you can clearly see the Golden Gate Bridge, pointing to the place where DHL was founded.

Our two time travelers get on a DHL plane and see a Dota courier fly by, because in game, players can order items and have them delivered by flying donkey. Sounds strange, but makes sense, since players are not always able to get back to base to buy things. Almost like in real life!

SirActionSlacks and Spunj finally land in Europe and go from Berlin to London via Paris and Pisa. If you look closely at this point, you will see ‘A’ and ‘B’ sprayed on the walls in the background. These two signs stand for the sites in CS:GO where terrorist units plant bombs. Counter terrorists players have to defend the sites and defuse the bombs.

As they arrive in the 1990s, you immediately see one of Moscow’s internet cafés in the background. After all, these were the glory days of such cafés. It was during this time that the idea of the express 24-hour delivery service was born, as can be seen on the mobile phone which was then still very modern.

This is only the beginning!

In the year 2000, the two of them arrive at DHL’s Innovation Center where, with a nod to DHL’s successful partnership with Formula 1, they change EffiBOT’s tires. But the Innovation Center has much more to offer as the future has already begun. DHL has been busy innovating right from the start, and this becomes abundantly clear in a short video clip, in which a robot helps change a tyre and a drone delivers the ESL One Trophy.

Finally, SirActionSlacks, Spunj, EffiBOT and the ESL One Trophy head to Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, straight to ESL One Cologne 2019. We have arrived in the present and have joined the esports community. And this is only the beginning!