Edward Gaming, a Chinese esports organisation, has closed a pre-A funding round bringing in almost 100,000,000 yuan (£11,629,000).
The round was co-led by China Capital Entertainment and China Investment Capital Corporation, according to the announcement. Outside of the announcement, it’s said that Yao Capital – NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming‘s firm – also co-led this investment round.
It has been made clear that Edward Gaming intends to make use of this investment by improving and building up its management, as well taking steps into content to supplement its growth in order to stay relevant.
Wu Lihua, CEO of Super League Group stated: “This is not a small industry. In such a stage, we must put forward more standardized management of the club and the ability to integrate external resources and promote its own growth in a higher dimension. Otherwise, it will not be able to withstand this plate.”
Lihau also explained that Edward Gaming is looking to use experience from traditional sports clubs to help speed up growth of the organisation, both internally and externally. It’s said that he’s considering web content, manga, and short video content as methods of building a brand beyond just competing. Edward Gaming has done well up until this point, mainly based on its success in the LPL.
“E-sports represents the culture and entertainment of a new generation of young people. We hope that outside the e-sports competition, they can create more connections with the club,” Lihua continued. “Net text, two-dimensional elements and offline experiences are all under consideration. We hope that through these contents, the club’s culture can better infiltrate into their total life, and they will create a more connected atmosphere.”
Edward Gaming currently competes in the LPL division for League of Legends, in the Kings Pro League for Arena of Valor, and in PUBG. The organisation is sponsored by Gillette, Acer, HUTA TV, Akko, BB-Esports Community, Intel, and Steel Series.
Esports Insider says: Edward Gaming has been impressive in the LPL for quite some time, not forgetting its mobile division too. It’s good to see Lihau and co. looking to establish the organisation beyond merely competing, esports is a growing industry and its takes a lot to truly stand out.
