Sources: Wisdom Gaming Has Shut Down

Wisdom Gaming Group has closed according to sources

The Esports Advocate has learned that Bloomington, Minnesota-based esports production company and tournament organizer Wisdom Gaming Group (operating as Wisdom Gaming Studios) effectively shut down several months ago, and its location at the Mall of America has been boarded up. Sources tell us that the company laid off a majority of staff several months ago.

In addition to serving as a small-scale tournament organizer white-label esports production business, Wisdom Gaming operated Wisdom Gaming Studios, an 18,000-square-foot esports venue and broadcast studio, on Level 4 of Mall of America, in Minneapolis (this also includes a bar and a lounge called The High Ground).

The space also served as the home of the NBA organization Minnesota Timberwolves’ esports team, T-Wolves Gaming, but sources familiar with the situation told TEA last week that—with the announced changes to the NBA 2K League next season, the team has been/or will soon be disbanded.

Wisdom also operated high-school esports provider Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL) and Gold Rush, an organization that supported the Rocket League competitive scene–acquired in June 2020. It should be noted that the MNVL has not posted on its social media account since June, and Wisdom Gaming Studios hasn’t posted since March.

It should be noted that North Dakota-based, scholastic-focused esports and drone racing company Fenworks acquired Minnesota Varsity League (MNVL), according to a report in the Grand Forks Herald.

TEA reached out to executives of the company prior to the publication of this story, but they did not respond to a request for comment.

The company has been relatively quiet since TEA’s reporting last summer that it had laid off 40% of its workforce.

Editor’s note: This story was updated after publication with information on the ownership of MNVL. As such, this new information is not reflected in the story’s audio file.