GameStop is making a play for the esports space, including several strategic partnerships. The Grapevine-based retailer announced an alliance with Complexity Gaming, one of North America’s longest standing esports organizations, where GameStop will serve as the title sponsor of the team’s new state-of-the-art headquarters at The Star in Frisco, Texas. This business move is part of a broader company strategy to engage in the esports arena to help bring videogame culture and consumer experiences to life.
“We are aiming to become the unofficial pop warner league of esports where GameStop provides fun and unique cultural experiences for player development while preparing the next generation of professional gamers – it doesn’t get any better for amateurs of all ages looking to learn and compete at the highest level,” said Frank Hamlin, Chief Marketing Officer for GameStop.
As a first step this May, GameStop and Complexity Gaming will open the new GameStop Performance Center,which will serve as the new headquarters for Complexity Gaming. This 11,000 square foot center will house a public gaming area for fans and sponsors, as well as cutting-edge performance training via data analytics, enhanced gaming equipment, a video studio and a merchandise wall – and will share a location with the Dallas Cowboys headquarters.
“The opening of the GameStop Performance Center represents Complexity’s vision to further professionalize the esports industry and leverage the learnings from the Dallas Cowboys who also call The Star home,” said Jason Lake, founder and CEO of Complexity Gaming. “We are creating a world-class facility that will engage fans both in person and online and positively impact the entire industry for decades to come.”
The GameStop Performance Center will not only serve as a training ground for gaming clinics but will also be one of the premiere public headquarters where gamers can unite and share their passions for esports while celebrating their love for video games. Through this partnership, Complexity Gaming and GameStop will work to engage fans both locally within the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex through onsite activations, and globally via online content.
As part of today’s announcement, GameStop will be collaborating with some of the best esports teams and players in the country to create original content, by leveraging their love for gaming and expertise to help amateur gamers gain access to exclusive materials and experiential activities.
The professional esports teams GameStop is collaborating with include:
Complexity Gaming: Owned by Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and real estate investor John Goff, Complexity Gaming is one of North America’s longest-standing and most successful esports teams, winning more than 140 championships in nearly 30 game titles over its 15-year history.
Infinite Esports: Infinite Esports & Entertainment is a diversified esports and entertainment holdings company that is home to the Houston Outlaws and OpTic Gaming, better known in the gaming community as the Green Wall – as a result of their legion of fans that don the team’s uniform colors of black and green.
Envy Gaming: Dallas-based Envy Gaming is owner of global esports franchise Team Envy and the Dallas Fuel franchise in the Overwatch LeagueTM. Founded in 2007, Envy has grown into one of the largest and most-winning esports teams in the world and features internationally diverse rosters of top professional gamers and content creators from around the globe. In 2018, Forbes ranked Envy Gaming among the top 10 most valuable esports franchises in the world.
Other esports elements part of today’s announcement, include:
Gaming Clinics
GameStop will develop an all new educational esports series of gaming clinics and tournaments where amateur players can participate through a mix of live and virtual events, learning insights and strategy from some of the best professionals while honing their skills on some of the most popular video games.
Matcherino
Players will have the opportunity to prove their new skills in competition through GameStop’s partnership with Matcherino. As a leading crowdfunding resource for esports organizers, prize tournaments and streamers, Matcherino is partnering with GameStop to engage and incentivize fans through targeted offers that will help fuel the passion of the esports community. GameStop will be participating in hundreds of amateur tournaments in 2019.
Collegiate Star League
To further amplify its audience reach with amateur players, GameStop is partnering with Collegiate Star League (CSL) to activate collegiate esports tournaments across online and on-campus platforms. As the official retail partner of CSL, GameStop will have a presence across all digital platforms, including social media channels – and will participate in key events, including the Summer School League, back to school campus tour in the fall of 2019 and 2020 CSL Grand Finals.
Esports Watch Parties
GameStop will provide unique fan experiences for esports aficionados in major markets across the country, giving gamers special access to exclusive events, merchandise and more.
To learn more about GameStop and esports, http://www.GameStop.com/esports