It was announced late yesterday that global esports brand Fnatic had raised over $7million (£5.64m) in financing.
The investment comes from a plethora of investors, with big names such as the Boston Celtics and AS Roma featuring prominently. On the AS Roma front it’s not the first time they’ve been involved with Fnatic. Their recent soft launch into esports came in a joint venture with Fnatic. The three players who were chosen to represent AS Roma also featured the Fnatic crest on their shirts.
“There has been strong growth in esports, which has accelerated in recent years, but the major shift has been in the acceptance and inclusion by sports franchises, media companies and high profile individuals who have entered and advanced the industry rapidly,” revealed Sam Matthews, Founder of Fnatic, in a press release. He added: “We’re incredibly excited by the opportunities available within esports, and having world class investors and advisors only enhances our ability to address these opportunities and continue to innovate.”
According to the announcement, the funding will be used for an array of purposes. It ranges from the personnel side such as: coaches, analysts and psychologists all the way to facility infrastructure and academy teams, and even products and apparel.
It’s the latest burst of activity from Fnatic, after their partnerships with Roma and Chinese agency B.O.O.T. The brand is synonymous with success across many esports, with ten professional teams currently competing across a multitude of titles. Surely the next eye is on the Overwatch League, of which we still await more details.
With a job advertisment on their website for an Overwatch Team Manager in Los Angeles – could that be where the Fnatic Overwatch franchise will find themselves based? Only time will tell.
Esports Insider says: Great news for Fnatic – one of the biggest esports brands around. It’s great to see them attract such substantial investment as it will likely only mean good things for growth of esports. We’ll be intrigued to see the brand’s next move having had this injection of funding.