esports

“Harbottle & Lewis has a long-standing reputation as a destination of choice for media and entertainment clients, particularly those involved in theatre, publishing and video games.”

Chambers UK

esports is now a hugely popular, and increasingly mainstream, form of entertainment in the UK and throughout the world. Given recent heavy investment into esports organisations, tournaments and platforms, and with the financial rewards available for professional gamers and audience viewing figures at an all-time high, there are undoubtedly significant opportunities for existing stakeholders within esports as well as the next generation of players and potential sponsors and investors who are looking to get a foothold within this fast growing industry.

We pride ourselves on being a full-service firm with one of the leading sports and interactive entertainment practices in Europe and we represent some of the biggest names in esports, as well as exciting start-ups and fledgling esports organisations. Our aim is to demystify the complex regulatory and governance issues affecting esports and provide strategic, commercial advice and user-friendly agreements to help our clients achieve their objectives.

As the popularity of esports continues to grow, and consolidation (and potentially regulation) within the currently fragmented industry makes the esports scene easier to navigate, commercial opportunities in this space will grow in parallel. In particular the value, complexity and sophistication of brand partnerships within esports is likely to increase significantly and our extensive experience advising on some of the most significant sponsorships in the sports and entertainment industries, and in connection with other forms of entertainment, ensures that we are well positioned to advise both sponsors and rights-holders on how best to protect their position and get value from their partnerships.

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