The Esports Trade Association (ESTA) announced Wednesday that publicly traded esports and gaming company GameSquare (NASDAQ: GAME) has joined EsportsNext 2026 as its official title sponsor.
Financial terms of this sponsorship were not disclosed.
“EsportsNext 2026 Powered by GameSquare” is set to take place Apr. 29-30 in Fort Worth, Texas. The annual trade event brings together “senior executives, strategic investors, and brand decision-makers” from esports and gaming to explore important topics, trends and more through chats, panels, and other activities. This year’s theme is “Rival the Best, Rule the Rest.”
“GameSquare represents exactly what EsportsNext is built for,” said Megan Van Petten, executive director of ESTA. “They sit at the intersection of competitive esports, brand strategy, and data intelligence — and they’re executing at the highest level across all of it. Having them power EsportsNext 2026 sends a clear signal about the caliber of this event and the direction of this industry.”
You can learn more about EsportsNext at esportsta.org/esportsnext.
EsportsNext 2026 will be followed by BLAST Premier Rivals 2026 which is set to take place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The Counter-Strike 2 competition will feature the best teams battling it out for a piece of the $1 million USD prize pool (and participation fees). A free one-day pass to BLAST Premiere Rivals will be included for the first 50 registrations to Esports Next 2026.
GameSquare owns and operates a number of different businesses, including FaZe Esports, marketing agency Zoned Gaming, marketing firm Code Red Esports, production company Fourth Frame Studios, merchandising company Mission Control, viewership and engagement measurement platform Stream Hatchet, and talent agency Click. The company is also engaged in cryptocurrency mining.