North American amateur and scholastic esports platform PlayVS has acquired Generation Esports and Playfly College Esports.
Financial terms of these individual deals were not disclosed.
Generation Esports is the owner of scholastic esports leagues High School Esports League (HSEL) and Middle School Esports League (MSEL), while Playfly Esports is a division of collegiate sports company Playfly. With these acquisitions PlayVS adds more levels of scholastic esports and collegiate esports to its suite of offerings in North America.
The company hopes that with these additional offerings (as well as STEM curriculum–Gaming Concepts—from Generation Esports), it can create a “unified pipeline that helps students compete, build skills, and pursue opportunities throughout their academic journeys.”
Combined, this new entity covers more than 900 colleges and 5,500+ K-12 schools in North America.
“This is a historic moment for esports in schools,” said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS, in a release. “We are creating an unprecedented network for students to experience the benefits of gaming at every level. Whether they’re just getting started in elementary school, competing in middle or high school, or continuing their journey into college, students now have a unified platform to build life skills, connect with their peers, and access meaningful academic and career pathways.”
PlayFly CEO Craig Sloan said of the divestment: “Esports has been a key part of Playfly’s investment thesis from the beginning, and we’re incredibly proud of the team that built and led our esports business. As they join PlayVS—an established leader in the esports landscape—we’re confident they will continue to thrive and make an even greater impact on the future of competitive gaming.”
The expansion also creates more opportunities for current and potential future partners to support scholastic and collegiate esports in North America, the company noted in a release.
The Future for PlayFly Esports, Generation Esports Employees
In response to questions about layoffs, PlayVS CEO Jon Chapman told us the following in an emailed response that there were no plans for layoffs post-acquisition at either company.
“There will be no layoffs as part of these acquisitions,” Chapman told TEA. “We’re excited to integrate both operating teams into PlayVS, as there’s an incredible amount of work ahead to elevate the impact that esports and gaming can have on students, coaches, schools, and communities.”
On keeping current employees and teams intact, Chapman added: “All team members from both Playfly College Esports and Generation Esports will be joining the PlayVS team. We’re excited to welcome their expertise, passion, and deep commitment to growing competitive gaming in education.”
Finally, management will remain the same post-acquisition, Chapman told us: “We’re pleased to welcome the leadership teams from both Generation Esports and Playfly College Esports to PlayVS. What makes this integration especially meaningful is our shared vision for how this expanded organization can drive lasting impact in the amateur esports space. The leaders joining bring deep expertise, proven execution, and a strong commitment to supporting students and schools.”
Despite a number of controversies over the years, PlayVS had a momentous beginning, having raised around $106.2 USD million in funding since May 2018. Those funders include WndrCo, Science, New Enterprise Associates, Kevin Lin, Michael Ryan Dubin, MaC Venture Capital, Coatue, Aurum Partners, Sean Combs, Rahul Mehta, Plexo Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, David Drummond, R/GA Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Sport, New Enterprise Associates, Michael Zeisser, Michael Ovitz, Dick Costolo, Dennis Phelps, Battery Ventures, Adam Bain, SoftBank, Open Opportunity Fund, and Blue Pool Capital.
In September 2023, Jon Chapman took over as CEO of PlayVS, replacing VP of Finance Joe Gibson, who was serving as interim CEO following founder and CEO Delane Parnell stepping down from the role at the beginning of May. The appointment marked a sea-change for the company, which had long-struggled with controversy for the way it used the games it had licensed to keep schools and other platforms from competing. The company then shifted to a free model, allowing participating schools to do so at no cost, supported instead by a new model that leaned on brands for financial support.
PlayVS’ current partners include the National Football League, Zenni Optics, Circle K, JBL Quantum, Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics, Lenovo, RESPAWN by Razer, Premier League, NBC Sports, and the Public Employees Credit Union, among others.
Prior to joining PlayVS, Chapman spent more than 11 years in regional roles at global educational services company Kaplan. In 2021, he exited the corporate education technology company EverFi (which he helped co-found) when it was acquired for $750 million.