THE STORY OF
THE PUG EMPIRE
The PUG Empire Gaming Community is the gathering spot for "Persons UnGrouped" who found their squad in a band of misfits with a cheeky ambition to conquer the gaming world. Born from a mix of jest and genuine passion, we're on a mission to rally gamers worldwide under one banner.
The Beginning
Born in the sprawling virtual landscapes of Elder Scrolls Online, the PUG Empire started as an Xbox-exclusive guild. What began as a small group of friends tackling dungeons and exploring Tamriel quickly grew into something larger. We weren't the most skilled players, we weren't the most organized, but we had something special: we actually enjoyed playing together. The name "Persons UnGrouped" was a joke at first, poking fun at how we were always looking for one more player to fill our squad. That joke became our identity. We embraced being the misfits, the underdogs, the guild that found its strength in genuine camaraderie. Those early days in ESO taught us what community really meant, laying the foundation for everything that came after.
Going Live
As our community grew, we wanted to share our adventures beyond just our guild members. Mixer, Microsoft's streaming platform, was perfectly integrated with Xbox and gave us an opportunity to broadcast our chaos to the world. We weren't professional streamers, we were just gamers having fun and inviting others to watch. The streams were rough around the edges, full of technical difficulties and plenty of "learning experiences," but they connected us with new people who appreciated our authentic, unpolished approach to gaming. We built friendships across time zones, created inside jokes that still make us laugh, and proved that you don't need perfect gameplay to build an engaged audience. You just need to be genuine.
The Great Migration
When Microsoft shut down Mixer in July 2020, we faced our first real test as a community. We had built momentum, established routines, and created a home on that platform. Suddenly, it was gone. But the PUG Empire isn't defined by where we stream, it's defined by who we are. We rallied together, researched our options, and made the jump to Twitch. The transition was messy. We lost some viewers who didn't make the switch. We had to relearn streaming tools, rebuild our presence, and start from scratch in many ways. But we also discovered we were stronger than we thought. Our core community didn't just survive the migration, they helped lead it. Members created guides for new viewers, promoted streams on social media, and refused to let our momentum die. That resilience became part of our identity.
Expansion & Evolution
With a solid foundation on Twitch, we began to evolve beyond just ESO. Our members played different games, had different interests, and we realized the PUG Empire could be more than a single-game guild. We started featuring multiple streamers, covering diverse games from tactical shooters to survival horror to city builders. We launched our Discord as a central hub, organizing game nights, tournaments, and community events. The community grew from dozens to hundreds of active members. We weren't just watching each other play anymore, we were playing together, strategizing together, and building genuine friendships. Some members met up in real life. Others collaborated on content creation. What started as a gaming community became a genuine brotherhood of misfits who found their people.
The Empire Today
Today, the PUG Empire is a multi-platform gaming community with over 500 active members, a team of dedicated content creators streaming across Twitch, YouTube, and Kick, and a growing library of gaming content including in-depth reviews, strategy guides, and tactical breakdowns. We've expanded beyond just playing games to analyzing them, teaching them, and sharing our passion with a wider audience. Our website serves as mission control, our Discord is the beating heart of daily operations, and our streams showcase what makes this community special: real gamers, real reactions, real friendships. We're not trying to be the biggest gaming community, we're trying to be the best one for people who value authenticity over clout, camaraderie over competition, and fun over everything else. The PUG Empire has grown far beyond what we imagined back in 2015, but our core mission remains the same: bringing together persons ungrouped and giving them a squad to call home.
Join The Empire
So gear up, game on, and let's show the world what misfits can do. If you're ready to be part of something legendary, the PUG Empire is waiting.