Sports Direct to launch in-store eSports concessions

Mon 12 Feb 2018 09.26 EST First published on Mon 12 Feb 2018 08.37 EST Sports Direct shoppers will be invited to take a break from browsing for leisurewear to play video games, with the chain unveiling a partnership that will see Game Digital open pay-to-play concessions in its stores. Under the terms of the agreement, Sports Direct, owned by Mike Ashley, hopes to cash in on the growing popularity of eSports by clearing space in stores to host live matches between players battling it out in a variety of competitive video games. Sports Direct, which bought a 25.8% stake in Game Digital in 2017, will also pay £3.2m for 50% of the intellectual property of Belong, the computer game company's eSports offshoot, and will be entitled to half its profits. The retailer will also provide a £55m loan to Game's Spanish division to help fund development of more eSports venues in the country. Game Digital said it hoped to capitalise on the overlap between traditional sports and eSports, a fast-growing genre that has attracted sponsorship from major brands and captured the attention of celebrity backers such as the singer Jennifer Lopez and the Formula One driver Fernando Alonso. Global revenues from eSports grew beyond expectations to reach $1.5bn (£1.1bn) last year, and are forecast to be $2.3bn by 2023, according to the gaming research company SuperData.