Guild Esports . Regulatory News (GILD)

Press release

25 August 2023

Guild Esports PLC

("Guild Esports", "Guild", or "the Company")

Entry into Street Fighter

Collaboration with Sky for Street Fighter tournament launch

Guild Esports PLC (LSE: GILD; OTCQB: GULDF), a global gaming-focused media business, is pleased to announce the launch today of a new professional team to compete in Street Fighter 6, marking the Company's first entry into competitive Street Fighter.

The Company's new team, which will compete under the Guild banner, comprises Reneil "JoKeR JoKeZ" Landell (UK), Rabiae "Takamura" Houmaid (BE) and Alfonso "VegaPatch" Martínez Pozo (ES). Guild believes the new team will create new revenue-generating and audience growth opportunities for the Company.

Street Fighter is a long-running fighting game series, featuring hand-to-hand combat between two arcade characters. Street Fighter has built a thriving esports scene, and the game's audience continues to grow; in June 2023, the CR Cup Street Fighter tournament had more than 313,000 concurrent viewers, making it the most popular video game on streaming site Twitch at the time (source: Dexerto, 2023).

Collaboration with Sky Broadband for Street Fighter tournament launch

Guild will collaborate with Sky Broadband, as part of its wider partnership with Sky UK ("Sky"), to launch the 'Sweat Room', a livestreamed Street Fighter tournament that will be promoted via a dedicated social media campaign. In the 'Sweat Room' tournament, participants will compete in one-on-one Street Fighter matches in a heated room, challenging gamers to perform at their best while under pressure. Sky Broadband will be leading on hosting the event and the associated awareness campaign, which is supplemental to their existing contractual commitments.

Guild will use the Sweat Room campaign to add an additional player to the Company's all-new Street Fighter professional team roster, as part of Guild and Sky Broadband's shared commitment to supporting and developing the gaming community. The participants in the tournament have been selected by Guild's expert team of coaches and scouts as the most promising non-professional Street Fighter players in the UK.

Guild's logo and branding will feature prominently in the tournament and the associated online campaign, which is being promoted by influencers including Iain Chambers, Veracity, Damascus, Tyrant and F-Word, who have a combined following of approximately 180,000. The Directors believe that Guild's involvement in the campaign will boost the Company's visibility and help to grow Guild's audience among existing Street Fighter fans and a mid-to-hardcore gaming audience.

The winner of the tournament will additionally receive a premium bundle of esports products designed for a professional-level Street Fighter player, including a top-of-the-range gaming chair, a gaming monitor, a gaming peripheral set, 18 months of free Sky Fibre Broadband, a gaming PC, a custom PC case and a Sweat Room branded joystick. The gaming chair is provided by Guild's Official Gaming Chair Partner, Secretlab.

Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports, said: "Street Fighter is an immensely competitive game with a vibrant and devoted community. We have been closely monitoring its esports scene for a long time, and we believe now is the perfect moment to enter our own professional team. Street Fighter offers a completely new audience and future revenue-generation opportunities for Guild, where we will maintain our high standards of professional excellence and intend to compete at the highest level. I'm delighted to welcome Reneil, Rabiae and Alfonso to the Guild family, and look forward to welcoming the final member of the team.

"I'm thrilled to be working with Sky Broadband on the Sweat Room tournament. Sky Broadband and Guild have been committed to enhancing esports performance since our partnership's inception, and through the Sweat Room tournament, we intend to find players that keep cool under pressure and deliver top esports performances. Moreover, the tournament will deliver engaging content that is appealing to wide audiences, and our involvement is indicative of our position as a global gaming-focused media business."

Amber Pine, Managing Director of Broadband and Connectivity at Sky Broadband said: "As part of our continued partnership with Guild Esports, we're excited to see some of the best available Street Fighter gamers battle it out in the Sweat Room, with the winner being officially awarded a place on the professional team. Of course, the best gamers need broadband that can match their performance, so we're proud to be powering the tournament with Sky Full Fibre Broadband, providing the speed and reliability gamers need to excel in any competition."

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About Guild Esports:

Guild Esports PLC is a global gaming-focused media business that fields professional players in gaming competitions under the Guild banner. Our in-house training academy aims to attract and nurture the best esports talent, and our goal is to provide the ultimate entertainment experience alongside a distinctive lifestyle brand authentic to the esports community worldwide. Guild is led by an experienced management team of entertainment sector and esports veterans and co-owned by David Beckham. The Company is headquartered in the UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: GILD) and on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States (ticker: GULDF). Please visit www.guildesports.com for more information.