With roots that can be traced back to 2007, EGL was established in 2010 by a group of gamers (including some former professional gamers) with the intention of changing gaming’s place in the world forever. It is a company by gamers, whose belief is that gaming is set to become a truly global sport to rival the likes of football and Formula 1, for a fast growing community of game-loving millennials. EGL’s focus is not just about money but sustainability, quality of service, accessibility, unique content and interactive formats. It will be a hub for all gamers at any level to compete in, watch and come together over eSports, no matter what platform, game or skill level.
EGL is set to become a world class platform for brands who want to directly engage with the EGL audience with leverage from both sides of the user engagement including brand marketing and direct product upsell. A report focussing on eSports, (released by Super Data Research collaboration with Newzoo) states that viewership across all eSports titles doubled in 2012, peaking to over 71 million by the end of 2013. The BBH partnership opens a unique opportunity to offer brands bespoke and interactive brand campaigns. Activating existing gamers is key plus the acquisition of new players and the attraction of mass market users across Europe.
EGL have initially received Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) investment from high net worth individuals within the media, financial and publisher worlds. The ongoing goal is to explore significant investment and joint venture opportunities before the end of 2015. In addition to working with industry leaders, publishers, hardware and software producers, EGL will announce key partnerships throughout the year ahead. These partnerships will be focused around media, monetisation, internationalisation, experiential events and more.
The management team behind EGL includes Glen Elliott and Neil Ghosh, who are both Managing Directors. Glen founded EGL 5 years ago after spending 15 years within the financial industry. A keen and passionate gamer, he saw the emergence of eSports and helped pioneer areas such as console eSports.
“After a busy 5 years, we are overjoyed to welcome BBH to team up with our EGL family. With this partnership we can take EGL to the top level we always dreamed of, and one the eSports community deserves” said Glen.
The team at BBH includes some of the world’s most awarded and respected admen as well as founding partner Sir John Hegarty, who says:
“Esports is one of the most vibrant and rebellious sectors in the industry today, experiencing massive growth and interest amongst gamers and new brands. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do to take EGL to the next level."