Twitch Acquires GoodGame
eSports advertising, content creation, tournament organizer and team management agency GoodGame was acquired by video game streaming platform Twitch.tv for an undisclosed figure earlier today.
In a shocking move, Alex Garfield, owner and CEO of GoodGame Agency, announced on the GoodGame website that his eSports agency has signed a deal with the Amazon-owned video game streaming platform.
According to Garfield, the move was made both in part due to the financial security provided by the alignment with Twitch, as well as the ability to now provide greater benefits and services to the players and teams supported by his agency.
“There’s no doubt that being bought by Twitch means all of our employees will be taken care of very well. But at the same time, we’re talking about a group of people who’ve dedicated most — if not all — of their adult lives to esports and to growing this industry. It’s a deserving bunch,” Garfield said in a statement. “On top of that, we’ve reserved a portion of the transaction for a player pool, which means that every player currently contracted with GoodGame will receive a small portion of the company’s sale. And as an Amazon subsidiary, we’ll also be able to offer our players other additional benefits to which they didn’t previously have access.”
Garfield further added that his company’s success and business metrics are directly influenced by Twitch’s decision to further focus on the eSports industry.
While no financial figure was revealed in his announcement, the acquisition by Twitch will allow the GoodGame agency to shift its focus full-time on the players and teams that the company supports.
In late August, online retail giant Amazon.com acquired Twitch.tv for a cool $970 million in cash. With the acquisition of GoodGame Agency, it is believed that professional eSports players, teams and tournaments organized through Twitch that are affiliated with Garfield’s company can now enjoy greater sponsor support. With global revenues for the industry overtaking the music industry in 2014, more and more attention has been given on eSports as a burgeoning, new age “spectator sport market”.
“There’s never been more mainstream interest in our industry — which is a good thing — but while it’s exciting, we need to make sure that interest is focused and channeled in the right ways if we want to keep growing our industry without breaking it. That’s why, now more than ever, it’s necessary for us to all work together,” said Garfield.
GoodGame opened its doors roughly 10 years ago. The agency has since funneled some $10 million in salaries and benefits to eSports players, teams, content producers and events over its 10-year history. Some notable teams and players under GoodGame include Evil Geniuses (featuring players such as Greg “IdrA” Fields and Clinton “Fear” Loomis), Alliance and Team Tinker.
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