(CelebrityAccess) — Esports infrastructure company Vindex announced it has acquired the Belong Gaming Arenas brand and plans to launch esports venues at more than 1,000 locations across the U.S. and Europe.
According to the Financial Times, Vindex plans to open more than 500 Belong-branded locations in the US, as well as 1,000 location internationally via its licensed partners over the next five years.
Localized venues have been one of the big stumbling blocks for major esports brands such as Activision-Blizzard’s Overwatch, which features competitive team-based play.
The Overwatch League, which debuted in 2018 through a partnership with AEG, features 20 team franchises, each affiliated h an official home city, like a traditional sport, but so far, the league has had limited opportunity to play home games at each team’s ‘home field’.
2020 was supposed to be the year that the league shifted to regional competition with teams traveling to their rival’s home arenas in a bid to build a local fan base but the plans were derailed by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think that overall, the industry acknowledges that localization is an important part of the growth of esports,” Vindex CEO and Co-founder Mike Sepso told Esports Insider. “Everything can’t happen just online or in big city arenas. What we’re trying to do is bring the esports experience through the Belong system to home towns across America. That’s key for us.”
Vindex launched in October, founded by Mike Sespo, who also founded Major League Gaming, and noted esports commentator Sundance DiGiovanni.
