In a move that sets a new precedent for esports visibility, British Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) star William ‘Mezii’ Merriman has become the first esports athlete to receive personalized hashtags on X (formerly Twitter). This milestone highlights the growing recognition of esports personalities on mainstream social media platforms.
Mezii’s new hashtags feature a striking yellow and black logo with an ‘M’ topped by a small crown, appearing next to the tags ‘kingmezii’ and ‘mEZii’. He shared the reveal in a post on July 23rd, 2025, which quickly caught attention, including from X’s official UK account.
Besides these custom hashtags, Mezii hinted at another announcement scheduled for July 25th, which might add more fuel to his rising profile.
This recognition comes after a standout year for Mezii. In June, he became the first UK player to win a Counter-Strike Major at the BLAST.TV Austin Major is a landmark achievement that’s hard to overlook.
Team Vitality’s run hasn’t slowed either. Since February, they’ve remained unbeaten, snagging three Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) titles plus victories at BLAST Open Spring, BLAST Rivals Sprint, and ESL Pro League Season 21. Quite the streak, right?
Mezii ranks as one of the UK’s top esports earners, with career prize money hitting $935,135 (~£690,868) according to Esports Earnings. Only former Fortnite pro Jaden ‘Wolfiez’ Ashman surpasses him, thanks to a $1.3m (~£960,469) haul after placing second in the 2019 Fortnite World Cup Finals.
Looking ahead, Mezii and Team Vitality are preparing for IEM Cologne 2025, one of CS’s most historic tournaments. With 24 teams competing for a $1m (~£738,460) prize pot and helpful spots in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Team Vitality leads the VRS rankings and is widely viewed as the world’s top team. Victory in Cologne would mark their ninth tournament win this year. Can they keep this relentless pace? Will Mezii’s new hashtags become a symbol of esports’ expanding cultural footprint? Time will tell.
day 1 of simping for @kingmezii #KingMezii #mEZii https://t.co/Z7LOm7cBtH
— X UK (@XUK) July 23, 2025
What do you think about esports stars getting personalized tags on social media? Is this a step towards greater respect for competitive gaming, or just a flashy gimmick?
