Major League Gaming co-founder forms Electronic Sports Group
In a joint effort, leading industry names from both esports and traditional sports announced the creation of a global esports advisory firm, Electronic Sports Group (ESG) on November 27.
Major League Gaming cofounder and Overwatch League pioneer, Mike Sepso is partnering up with former NBA and IMG executive Bobby Sharma to create an all-encompassing firm that “will deliver strategic business advice to senior management at clients across the advertising, finance, sports, and media industries.”
The esports scene is growing at a rapid pace, and ESG will look to guide smaller or upcoming ventures in the right direction in terms of appropriately assessing the best avenues for growth.
Bobby Sharma is an international sports business leader who has worked to bring sports and sports media to the forefront.“Bobby and I envisioned Electronic Sports Group to provide a level of expertise and strategic insight that is missing in esports. Our team combines an extensive network of relationships, with deep institutional knowledge, and seasoned operational and transactional expertise to deliver a superior level of service for clients,” said Sepso.
The new firm has also partnered up with seasoned HBO Sports and World Esports Association (WESA) Ken Hershman to redesigning how esports and media relate to each other.
ESG marries some top talent from both aisles of sports media, but it’s also partnering with Sports Media Advisors (SMA) who has been a leading player for global brands including the NFL, MLB, UFC and more.
Ken Hershman has partnered with ESG to better integrate all things media into esports.The firm is also working directly with Nielsen to provide insights on fan engagement that will help distinguish to clients which markets or sponsorship routes to promote. The group aims to bring out the “full economic potential” in esports that they believe is present, but untapped.
“Esports commands a massive, global audience that’s well over 400 million strong, primarily 18-34…,” Sharma said. “Whether to better connect their core products with the esports community, or to find growth opportunities within the space, traditional sports stakeholders can no longer afford to wait on the sideline.”
ESG will look to provide integral decision-making and planning for the esports scene as a whole to take the industry and its potential to new heights.