Canadian movie-theatre chain Cineplex Entertainment has announced that it has acquired the operational assets of WG Ltd. (operating as WorldGaming), a leading online gaming platform that facilitates tournaments, leagues and gaming ladders for the competitive gaming community.
The acquisition will see the creation of a new company that will transform eSports in North America by creating a community that connects live online gaming with unique in-theatre tournament experiences to be held in Cineplex theatres across the country.
“This acquisition leverages Cineplex’s existing assets including our theatre locations, the SCENE loyalty program and the numerous marketing touchpoints that we have developed,” said Ellis Jacob, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cineplex Entertainment. “We see that eSports are quickly becoming a global phenomenon and this investment provides us with the unique opportunity to engage a new customer base as well as expand the concept in markets outside of Canada.”
As part of the deal, Cineplex will invest $10-million US to acquire the assets in exchange for 80 per cent ownership of the new company, as well as invest an additional $5-million US to expand the business model. In addition, Cineplex is pleased to announce the creation of a new league that will operate and oversee future in-theatre eSports tournaments hosted across Canada.
“Joining Cineplex Entertainment will undoubtedly propel the Canadian eSports landscape forward and take to a whole new level,” said Rob Segal, Chief Executive Officer of WG Ltd. “We are excited to be working with an iconic leader in entertainment to bring our hundreds of thousands of members into theatres where the best-of-the-best in gaming can compete face-to-face.”
Theatres are ideal locations for gamers to compete and their fans to cheer them on and Cineplex is excited to bring the experience and thrill of competitive video gaming to its guests. The online portion of the tournaments will be hosted on WorldGaming’s proprietary gaming platform and the events are expected to take on three main formats:
- National Tournaments – quarterly tournaments that begin with online qualifiers, moving to regional rounds in 24+ Cineplex theatres. National tournaments will culminate in one final event broadcasted via satellite across the country with the winner receiving a cash prize
- Local Tournaments – single-day regional events featuring new games that will give casual gamers the opportunity to play in Cineplex theatres against other players locally
- League Play – similar to league sports like hockey and soccer, guests and teams can sign-up for a 12-week program featuring one game and play in rounds leading up to a final held locally in each city.
Details will be available soon on the league’s first national tournament scheduled for October 2015. Interested participants are encouraged to visit Cineplex.com/GameOn for more information.
SOURCE: Cineplex Press Release