Super League Gaming gets funding to help turn movie theaters into esports arenas
Coming soon to a theater near your: esports.
Super League Gaming announced today that its ended its Series B Round of financing for its firm, which transforms movie theaters into arenas where people can compete against each other in video games. Cinemark Theatres was a contributor to the round, and Super League Gaming also has support from the two other major U.S. theater chains, AMC and Regal. It didn’t disclose how much it raised. Esports are becoming a huge market thanks to hits like League of Legends and Dota 2. It’s a $621 million yearly business, according to intelligence firm SuperData Research.
“Our technology reimagines the theater space for recreational esports,” said Super League cofounder and chief visionary officer John Miller. “We saw our own kids playing video games, and we thought there has to be a more social, communal way to do this. People don’t want to be playing alone in their homes. They want to be playing together, working side by side with their teammates to compete against other teams. We knew movie theaters were a natural fit, but even we were surprised by the tremendous response to the summer preseason tour.”
Attendees bring their own laptops to play on. The theater screen shows a spectator’s view of the action.
