David Beckham’s esports company is on track for a stellar year after it clinched lucrative sponsorship deals and saw its fan base surge during Covid lockdowns.
Guild Esports, which is co-owned by the former England captain, is setting up its own teams to compete in online video game tournaments and building a talent academy to recruit and train talented players.
Power play: Guild Esports is co-owned by former England captain David Beckham
Gamers are paid to play Fifa, Fortnite and Rocket League in tournaments, which are watched by millions. Viewing figures leapt during the pandemic as many live sport events have been cancelled.
Guild became the first esports company to list on the London Stock Exchange in October 2020, when it floated for £41m.
In maiden results yesterday, it said in the year to September – just before it went public – that it racked up a £2.7m loss.
But it has signed two sponsorship deals – one of which will pay it £3.6m over three years – and has about £18m in the bank it can use to expand.
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