David Beckham’s Guild Esports to List on London Stock Exchange

Guild Esports, an Esports organisation part-owned by David Beckham, has announced plans to list on the London Stock Exchange later this year. In doing so, Guild will become the first British Esports company go public, with the move having been taken in an attempt to raise around £20 million. Potentially listing 40% of its shares, Guild Esports is valued at £50 million as a result.

Why Guild are Going Public

Guild was founded earlier this year, with the organisation owning and developing a number of Esports teams already. With plans to develop coaching academies revolving around Rocket League, EA Sports’ FIFA and Fortnite, a longer term goal is to have at least 20 professional players on their books by the end of 2021. At present, Guild has three Rocket League players and just a single FIFA representative.

The covid-19 pandemic has hit European listings hard, with rates having been at their lowest for eight years in the first half of 2020. While things have picked up, with listings in both the United States and Asia having increased, the move by Guild will be one of the first major moves in the UK.

What Does the Future Hold for Guild Esports?

With gaming having gone from strength to strength during the pandemic, something which cannot be said of live sports events, Guild see this is a good time to take the next step in their journey. The Esports industry is believed to generate an annual revenue of over $950 million, while over 400 million viewers get involved too. Coupled with the presence of co-owner Beckham, Guild could very well be on to a good thing.

Earnings from the share placing will be used by Guild to recruit new players, as well as further investment in their brand, with their best result to date having come at the RLCS Season X – Fall: EU Regional Event 2 over the summer, where Guild finished in 5th-8th position. Joseph “noly” Kidd, Thomas “ThO” Blinkhorst and Kyle “Scrub Killa” Robertson currently form the Guild Rocket League roster, with former REUNITED and Renault Vitality coach fulfilling a similar role for the team also. Meanwhile, the organsation announced the arrival of FIFA star Niklas ‘NRaseck’ Raseck at the beginning of August, with the German having won the FUT 20 Champions Cup Stage 2 at the end of last year.