Guild Esports has gone public on the London Stock Exchange.
The e-sports company, which is co-owned by David Beckham, listed today after earlier this week offering 250m ordinary shares for 8p.
Beckham holds a 4.78% stake in Guild Esports.
It is the first e-sports company to go public on the stock exchange and has a valuation of £41.2m. The industry has experienced significant growth in recent years.
Jamie Peel, director at corporate finance at Zeus Capital, said: “The gaming industry has exploded in popularity, with esports quickly becoming a mainstream form of entertainment. This is only expected to accelerate in the coming years, and with a hugely experienced and high-quality management team, the firm has already generated significant investor appetite.”
Time to invest in e-sports?
Hiran Adhia, who is a client manager at global branding and design agency Landor, believes the e-sports sector will continue to grow in the coming years.
“[This float] has certainly got the international community talking and major players and investors have no choice but to now pay close attention,” said Adhia.
“[After] having perceptually trailed behind traditional sports franchises for the last 20 years, out of the limelight, e-sports has built a mammoth international fanbase,” they added.
According to games market insight company, Newzoo, the e-sports sector is set to grow by 42% to $1.56bn
