Dallas-based esports organization Envy Gaming is partnering with Vindex to bring communal gaming centers to North Texas, the company announced Wednesday.
The partnership grew out of Vindex’s recent purchase of Belong Gaming Arenas, which operates a network of video gaming centers in the U.K. that provide customers with PCs and consoles so they can play games in socially connected settings. It also hosts tournaments and events at its arenas.
Vindex plans to invest $300 million over the next five years to open more than 500 Belong locations in the U.S. and an additional 1,000 locations globally.
The company’s first U.S. locations will be in North Texas, New York and Columbus, Ohio, according to the Financial Times. The timing of those openings will depend on controlling the spread of COVID-19, however.
Belong will build at least one Envy co-branded flagship location locally, and the companies are still scouting for a location, Rymer said.
“The [Envy] brand stands for competitive spirit,” Envy Gaming CEO Adam Rymer said. “What these venues really give us is a way to build a better community, build a stronger community.”
The partnership had been in the works for some time before Rymer joined the company as CEO last month. The gaming centers will bring in revenue for Envy, the company said, though it did not specify exact terms of the deal.
Vindex will operate the centers, which will accommodate up to 100 gamers and spectators.
Axe throwing, VR centers and escape rooms have been growing in popularity in recent years — and Envy sees an opportunity to seize on branded experiential entertainment venues, Rymer said.
“This will bring the professional esports experience to casual and amateur players in their hometowns across the country and around the world, connecting more players everywhere at a time when communities truly need to be closer together,” Vindex CEO Mike Sepso said in a statement.
Sepso’s New York-based Vindex spent a reported $50 million this week to buy Belong Gaming from U.K. billionaire Mike Ashley’s Game Digital Limited, the largest video game retailer in the U.K. and Spain.
Belong Gaming, founded in 2016, lists two dozen European locations on its site. Each gaming center spans roughly 5,000 to 6,000 square feet and costs $250,000 to build out, according to the Financial Times.
