Vindex to Invest $300 Million in Esports Arenas

With a strong reputation within the Esports industry already, Mike Spenso and Sundance DiGiovanni are now set to invest some $300 million in Esports gaming arenas, which will be used by both amateur and more casual players across the globe.

The duo made their name by establishing Major League Gaming back in 2002, which they eventually sold to Activision Blizzard, while Spenso also had a leading role in the creation of the Overwatch League. Their current operation, Vindex, is now the world’s leading Esports infrastructure platform, which will help to deliver operational services at newly built arenas. Working alongside Envy Gaming and Andbox, it is believed that multiple venues will be opened in the coming years, which will act in a similar way to PC gaming centres, only with a focus on Esports.

What Does This Investment Mean for Esports?

Vindex also recently acquired the well-known Belong Gaming Arenas from British retailer GAME, before hiring Martyn Gibbs, who will help manage a larger rollout of venues. Their main goal when it comes to the opening of new arenas surrounds community and programming, with a number of such locations already being found on high streets in the UK.

Owners Spenso and DiGiovanni are certainly not thinking small with this latest venture, with cities in the US and in Europe having already been outlined for venues. The company acquired NGE and Esports Engine in 2019 upon its launch, demonstrating that Vindex is a name to look out for when it comes to publishing and streaming also.

A total of 1,500 venues are expected in total, 500 of which will be Belong-branded in the US. Local arenas has long been an issue for gamers, with the vision of Vindex also having team-based competitions in mind. 2020 was expected to be the year in which local Esports teams travelled for home/away style encounters, however this has been restricted massively due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Localisation is undoubtedly a major part of the growth of Esports, with this major investment from Vindex being an exciting step in the right direction for the industry.

The partnership between Spenso and Esports commentator DiGiovanni could well be one that we see plenty more of in the future, with the duo looking to move into a variety of different sectors over the coming years.