Guild Esports . Regulatory News (GILD)

Press release

17 May 2021

Guild Esports PLC

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

Global Launch of Esports Academy to Drive Growth

Guild Esports (LSE: GILD), a global team organisation and lifestyle brand, is pleased to announce the launch of the world's most comprehensive and innovative esports online training platform, 'Guild Academy', to drive growth of its talent pool of future pro players, fanbase, and long-term revenue streams.

Designed for budding esports stars from the age of 11+, the Academy will be available worldwide in English. It is closely modelled on proven sports academy systems, including those pioneered by the U.K.'s leading football clubs and MLS club, Inter Miami CF, also co-owned by David Beckham. Guild has also drawn on Beckham's first-hand experience with, and advice about football academies to create its own model specifically tailored to esports.

It will offer every player, of any ability, individualised support and personalised challenges designed to nurture gameplay and build life skills to unlock their true potential.

All members will be given access to tournaments, Guild's training dashboard and performance analysis. Alongside this, as the Guild Academy expands, a tiered system will be introduced, whereby the players showing the most potential will be offered greater access to 1:2:1 support as well as access to the physical Academy headquarters and roadshows. The Academy is available from today, exclusively through the Guild website at: www.guildacademy.com.

Carleton Curtis, Executive Chairman, said: "We are delighted to be launching our online Academy which will provide players of all ages and abilities anywhere in the world with comprehensive training programmes to develop their skills as esports players. The level and quality of interaction between the players and our training programmes is what sets us apart and makes Guild's Academy unique. It represents the future of esports and will allow Guild to discover and nurture the next generation of esports champions as well as engender tribal loyalty to our brand."

The Guild Academy will initially launch with two of the most popular esports globally, Fortnite and Rocket League, with more esports to follow within the next six months, including FIFA and Valorant. The Academy will also take the personal development of all participants beyond game play. Guild's team of industry leaders will deliver masterclasses to maximise their athletes' learning, whilst also developing a range of knowledge and skills such as resilience and determination which will enable them to succeed in later life.

Players of all abilities will be able to benefit from the video analysis software within the platform. It can be used, either to self-assess previous performances, or by coaches, teammates and more experienced players to provide feedback, hints and tips in order to help other players improve their gameplay.

Guild will also use the Academy to find the next generation of pro talent as part of its "path to pro" strategy within the esports sector by using its own in-house talent scouts to recruit players showing the most potential. These players will be offered access to Guild's physical academy where they will receive live player development and assessment opportunities, be invited to bootcamps and to participate in local area network (LAN) tournaments.

New players will be able to sign up to a 30-day free trial which, if not cancelled, will then convert to a pricing plan of £4.99 per month (or local currency equivalent), creating a significant, scalable revenue stream for the Company.

Guild has also partnered with Super Awesome, a world-leading consent provider, to create the world's first safe space for children within an online esports academy. This will enable parents to be in control of the data that is shared with Guild and also ensure all children will need parental consent to use the platform. The Company has also created a parent centre which outlines all the steps Guild has taken to ensure its platform is safe for children to use.

Kal Hourd, Chief Executive of Guild Esports, said: "This is an exciting opportunity for Guild as we look to take our world class Academy to market. Our grass roots system will allow us to attract Guild fans for life, create an important asset for sponsors to reach a young audience in an authentic way, create a significant revenue stream through our scalable subscription service, maintain a pipeline of professional athletes for Guild's teams, as well as player transfer opportunities in the long run."

Joe Sutton, Academy Director, said: "We are so proud to have created a truly special and unique Academy for our members which will provide them with a safe, structured and innovative training environment. We are able to offer coach-led video analysis to ensure every player, no matter their standard, can develop and benefit from self-assessment of previous performances or individual feedback from more advanced players. This is not just about our video game improvement. We are here to offer holistic support and develop the next generation of esports talent, whether that's an athlete or not. This is only the beginning for our Academy and we are really excited about the future."

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About Guild Esports:

Guild Esports PLC is a global fan-focused team organisation and lifestyle brand that fields professional players in gaming competitions under the Guild banner. Our 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 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). Please visit www.guildesports.com