We're going to be moving the location of our Headquarters from New York to The Netherlands. Previously it was WaxAngel, Heyoka, R1CH, and Hot_Bid in New York and it will be R1CH, Hot_Bid, disciple, and myself working from the Netherlands. Throughout the past couple of years we have managed to improve our overall stability and now it is time for another big step in our development.
There are a whole lot of reasons as to why this move is the best thing for us. I'll list the most important ones.
Difficulty of running companies in two countries
Communication working out of the same space.
Living conditions
Apartment does not provide for continued growth
Healthcare
Heyoka and WaxAngel in their jobs do not, to the same extent, require face to face communication, and will stay and work out of the U.S. There's a variety of reasons behind this, but among other things I would not be able to get them working visas here.
The planning of the move these past few months has been a tedious and at times stressful process. Thank god R1CH and disciple did not require visas since they're from the U.K. and Bulgaria, because Hot_Bids visa has kept me busy, and at times, desperate. A week or so ago, nearly three months after starting the process, we finally received the news that he was allowed to work here officially.
The three of them are moving into the apartment I am moving out of. I lived here with my girlfriend for four years and we recently decided to buy a house not far from here. For the first time in 12 years I will be able to come into work on my Dutch bicycle. It's going to be quite a shock not working by myself in my own room in my own house, but I am actually looking forward to it a lot.
My whole family has been incredibly supportive. There's a ton of behind the scenes stuff to be taken care and I could not have done this without them. The desks we will be using are some really nice desks from my father's old company. I've added some pics setting up all the desks with my brother and girlfriend.
There's still a lot of work to do before these guys can comfortably live and work here, but all the pieces are in place now. R1CH will arrive August 30th, Hot_Bid September 3rd, and Ivailo will officially work here starting January (but drop by earlier).
HOLY CRAP Congrats! So I guess we'll be seeing Hot_Bid at more EU events too then! Great view and sounds incredible, lucky guys! Those desks look fancy as hell.
On August 27 2013 21:27 USvBleakill wrote: Does this mean that we can consider TeamLiquid as an EU Team?
That would be like considering EG as an EU team simply because they have an EU League of Legends team... TL has people in many regions of the world so I think labeling them to a specific continent is a bit much.
On August 27 2013 20:58 ROOTheognis wrote: Wow awesome. Hope it works out! btw Nazgul didn't know you were so good at technical drawing - MS paint or not! :D
I don't want to kill your vibes here but I'm pretty sure he only did the purple, red, and green bits. Still good, but not "wtf" good
Would love to read/watch a kind of b/vlog by Hot_Bid on his experiences living in the Netherlands and what he thinks of it. I enjoy reading some expat blogs for the different view on what is so familiar to me and I'm sure Hot_Bid will have a unique viewpoint on things.
On August 27 2013 22:04 Hot_Bid wrote: I'm going to have to bike everywhere, I've never really used one but I'm Chinese it's in my genes.
Biking in the Netherlands is easy. Just pretend the cars on the road can't hurt you and you'll fit right in. In cyclists minds the order is: Cyclist > Truck > Bus > Car > Pedestrian.
Give us dutchies a nudge when the house is ready for a tour / house-warming party. Will be there for sure (if only to meet the legendary TL dudes (and R1ch, damn, that guy has my respect)).
I wonder about the members, were there second thoughts about moving to .nl, i mean, you have your girlfriends and families in the US? Would have Heyoka and Waxangel moved if they were able to get visas?
Btw, love the picture of you and your girlfriend drawn for TSL 3 needs :D
On August 27 2013 22:29 s.a.y wrote: Amazing news!
I wonder about the members, were there second thoughts about moving to .nl, i mean, you have your girlfriends and families in the US? Would have Heyoka and Waxangel moved if they were able to get visas?
Btw, love the picture of you and your girlfriend drawn for TSL 3 needs :D
On August 27 2013 22:29 s.a.y wrote: Amazing news!
I wonder about the members, were there second thoughts about moving to .nl, i mean, you have your girlfriends and families in the US? Would have Heyoka and Waxangel moved if they were able to get visas?
Btw, love the picture of you and your girlfriend drawn for TSL 3 needs :D
Lol sharp it is from before TL worked with Glider though
Cool! I hope the foreign guys will enjoy Utrecht and The Netherlands in general. You should throw a housewarming party with lots of awkwardness and alcohol. I'd show up.
What's with the hate towards Dutch beer? There's some bad ones, but most are anywhere between decent to amazing. Maybe it's something with our most famous beer also being one of the worst.
Wow, this place looks so sick. Going to be sad I can't visit TLHQ in Queens anymore but if I ever find myself in the Netherlands hope I can visit the new place
On August 27 2013 23:27 Smix wrote: Wow, this place looks so sick. Going to be sad I can't visit TLHQ in Queens anymore but if I ever find myself in the Netherlands hope I can visit the new place
On August 27 2013 23:19 Metak wrote: What's with the hate towards Dutch beer? There's some bad ones, but most are anywhere between decent to amazing. Maybe it's something with our most famous beer also being one of the worst.
Everyone just knows Heineken, which is just a standard run-of-the-mill lager and nothing to be proud of.
On August 27 2013 22:47 wingpawn wrote: Congrats! Are you guys already familiar with the language?
Nazgul is originally from the Netherlands if I recall correctly, so he will probably know much of it.
As for the rest, knowing english is enough to speak to anybody below thirty. It'll be harder to try and practice dutch with those people because they're more likely to want to practice their english on a foreigner than to allow the foreigner to learn dutch.
On August 27 2013 22:04 Hot_Bid wrote: I'm going to have to bike everywhere, I've never really used one but I'm Chinese it's in my genes.
Biking in the Netherlands is easy. Just pretend the cars on the road can't hurt you and you'll fit right in. In cyclists minds the order is: Cyclist > Truck > Bus > Car > Pedestrian.
Welcome to good old Europe and good luck in the new office! The move from metropolis NYC to the Netherlands could be a culture shock at the first days :D
On August 27 2013 22:47 wingpawn wrote: Congrats! Are you guys already familiar with the language?
Nazgul is originally from the Netherlands if I recall correctly, so he will probably know much of it.
As for the rest, knowing english is enough to speak to anybody below thirty. It'll be harder to try and practice dutch with those people because they're more likely to want to practice their english on a foreigner than to allow the foreigner to learn dutch.
Haha the last part is so true, whenever I meet a foreigner I'm too delighted to have a chance to speak English to request that they learn Dutch instead.
However I would love to listen to Hot Bid talk Dutch.
Will TL ever host an open house event or a housewarming party?
Will there be any sort of housewarming event that fans will be able to attend? Also, where in the Netherlands is this apartment and what is the adress?
I want to believe that Dutch people can recognise any spot in the Netherlands purely by looking out a window, for some reason the thought makes me happy.
Wow !! So exciting!! I never would have imagined, all that you, and the amazingly talented group of passionate and dedicated individuals have been able to achieve and go beyond.
I know it is silly but I really hope one day to be able to give back to this community, in a meaningful way. It is truly inspiring, the knowledge if you believe and work hard enough you can have anything you desire.
I love my TeamLiquid family.
I wish you the best, you sir Nazgul do deserve it. Thank you for giving us all a home!
I want to believe that Dutch people can recognise any spot in the Netherlands purely by looking out a window, for some reason the thought makes me happy.
Haha, how would we do that, mills, cows, pastures and woodenshoes on every corner.
Btw, it's not in Overvecht, it's in Zuilen, though both districts are next to each other in Utrecht-Nord. Cheers!
I want to believe that Dutch people can recognise any spot in the Netherlands purely by looking out a window, for some reason the thought makes me happy.
just located what street the house is at with google maps. wont post address since i think they wouldn't like it. you can see the dom tower from the vid. that plus the bridge and water you can see from the back of the house makes it pretty easy to determine the location.
I have mixed feelings about this. The apartment looks great and all but I've always liked the international aspect of TL. It was kind of cool to have Nazgul over here in Europe and the HQ in America.
Was healthcare really such a big issue in the decisions? Healthcare here is relatively cheap I guess, but then taxation is also higher than in the US - does it really make that big of a difference? Anyway, welcome to The Netherlands, hope you enjoy it here.
On August 27 2013 21:27 USvBleakill wrote: Does this mean that we can consider TeamLiquid as an EU Team?
That would be like considering EG as an EU team simply because they have an EU League of Legends team... TL has people in many regions of the world so I think labeling them to a specific continent is a bit much.
Besides, TL is one of the few teams with dominant players in Korea and in Europe.
On August 28 2013 02:30 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: This is getting creepy real fast.
Did you expect anything less?
Haha yeah, I knew vaguely where Nazgul was supposed to live, but know I now for sure where it is. I won't stand in front of the building with a guitar and sing and so on. So don't worry!
On August 28 2013 02:30 Liquid`Nazgul wrote: This is getting creepy real fast.
It doesn't need to be. Now that we have the address, we can send you nice gifts and stuff. I'm already on it
P.S. The white powder on the envelope isn't anything dangerous, it's just washing powder from the bathroom. I spilled some when I was preparing the gift, so don't worry.
the netherlands is a bit of an odd option since they have some of the strictest immigration policies in the EU.I know they have even kicked out americans form the netherlands something that few countries afford to do.Germany might have been a more logical option since it is bigger and has more relaxed legislation.But nevertheless the Netherlands is a beautiful country.I have been staying there last year and the Dutch are some of the friendliest people I have met in my life.You should not have any issues with them.Also Hotbid will not feel lonely since Dutch universities are filled with top chinesse students and beautiful chinesse girls.^^
sidebar was "Moving Hea", so I thought it must be about TL moving Hearthstone to its own subforum or something (: everything looks super stylish, congrats for taking this step
On August 28 2013 05:13 theking1 wrote: t.Also Hotbid will not feel lonely since Dutch universities are filled with top chinesse students and beautiful chinesse girls.^^
I know where it is... I lived in the flat across the current HQ.
Nazgul you should throw a "meeting/party" for the dutch people among us... Just at the "winkel van sinkel" or something. So we dont have to "search" for your HQ. Dont leak out the address because the crew needs it privacy and space to get TL better!
Oh besides @Hotbid, if you are in holland, I invite you to my "SC2/Dota2 Chinese Only LAN" party that I gonna hold at the end of the year. And if you wanna hook up with an asian girl? There is almost every week an asian party in holland. If you join up, Ill buy ya a bottle of free whiskey! Other people of TL-crew are also invited but beware of getting owned at drinking.
Shit! This is BIG! I think this is a great idea and I sincerely hope it all works out perfectly, but it seems so nice!! Hope you guys enjoy living in europe!
is there gonna be a gym near by for those gym rats
also dammit having to queue USE TT at least my late nights will be better spent or maybe not cuz you guys will retain the same sleeping schedule there?
That is pretty cool. Good reasons and stuff to move. Although kinda sad to see Liquid leave the states, I was thinking a move out to Cali would be likely haha.
And with Hotbid in Europe he'll have the opportunity to visit more European events, and he doesn't have to miss a single Dreamhack. I bet he'll like that.
On August 28 2013 05:13 theking1 wrote: t.Also Hotbid will not feel lonely since Dutch universities are filled with top chinesse students and beautiful chinesse girls.^^
Sick how far TL has come in just a few years. Grats on this. And I'm glad that you continue to provide a home for us foreign brood war players despite this!
On August 28 2013 18:48 NerdFace wrote: Get now something! :O Are they crazy become, this is insane but awesome though :D When can we a cupje coffee drink?
I wonder how long it will take for them to call their work breaks with the classic 'bakkie'
On August 28 2013 18:48 NerdFace wrote: Get now something! :O Are they crazy become, this is insane but awesome though :D When can we a cupje coffee drink?
I wonder how long it will take for them to call their work breaks with the classic 'bakkie'
As easy and great as video conferencing/emailing are these days, there really is no substitute for working in the same physical space as your coworkers. Excited for TL and this move-- I'm sure it will really help the business operate.
I hope the folks moving from NYC find the new digs to their liking. That's a hell of a move, and if it's for an indefinitely long period of time, that's a pretty major life change. Good luck to all involved!
Also, holy cow, that's a beautiful apartment. Nazgul's new house must be amazing!
Really happy for you guys. Its a big step having an official office space as opposed to "this is my bedroom and this is my office(computer desk in the corner)". Does a more concentrated working environment like this mean that we are going to start seeing expanded content production by TL?
EPT
