Yet more big money has entered esports. Super League Gaming announced yesterday that it has secured $5m (£4.08m) in series C investment from aXiomatic and Toba Capital, bringing its total funding to date up to $20m (£16.3m).
The investment group aXiomatic made a splash in esports in September after it acquired a controlling interest in Team Liquid. Toba Capital meanwhile will be less known in esports waters; it’s a venture capital firm set up by Vinny Smith, the founder of Quest Software and Patrol Software. Cinemark USA has been a prior investor in Super League Gaming.
Smith commented on the decision: “Esports are well on their way to becoming bigger than traditional sports. It takes a rare company like Super League Gaming, with great technology and a brilliant team led by CEO Ann Hand, to join the very short list of leaders in this space. We are incredibly excited to partner with the company on this journey.”
Super League Gaming is aimed at amateur players in North America; it runs leagues at cinemas in Canada and the States with weekly paid registration competitions. At present it costs $60 for a single entry into a 3 week league. These have been focused on Minecraft but it is expected that they’ll announce an expansion into a new title in the near future.
Esports Insider says: Great news for amateur esports in North America, a sizable investment partly from esports stakeholders is a big win for Super League Gaming.
