Black Ridge Acquisition Corp. has finalised the acquisition of Allied Esports International and World Poker Tour (WPT) Enterprises making both wholly-owned subsidiaries of the company.
As part of the transaction, Black Ridge has now rebranded to Allied Esports Entertainment (AESE).
Frank Ng, CEO of Allied Esports Entertainment commented in a release: “Today marks the beginning of a new category in gaming – esports entertainment – that brings together the best of this burgeoning industry, including fans, streamers, professionals, entertainers and brands, to create experiences and content around the world across all communities. This growing ecosystem, anchored by our three-pillar strategy, will allow us to serve the industry as a whole as we move forward into an exciting and promising future.”
The acquisition will see AESE take over Allied Esports’ global network of properties and content creation facilities, including its flagship location: HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas. Additionally, AESE will utilise World Poker Tour’s expertise in live events, content distribution, and customer engagement in esports.
Ken DeCubellis, CFO of Allied Esports Entertainment added: “We are thrilled with the closing of the transaction and look forward to seeing Allied Esports Entertainment execute on the tremendous opportunities in the esports market. We are excited for AESE’s future as a public company and will be committed to creating value for all stakeholders involved.”
In the last few months, real estate company Simon and Mexican sports television network TV Azteca have made equity investments into AESE. Simon and Allied Esports’ collaboration will see the creation of gaming venues in select Simon malls across the US, whereas Allied Esports and TV Azteca are working together to expand the esports landscape in Mexico.
Esports Insider says: With some great initiatives already in the works, we look forward to seeing the growth of Allied Esports Entertainment. This has been a long time coming, and with the additional investments we mentioned above, there’s a lot of opportunity for this company to make a real mark in this industry.
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