Tencent Holdings has announced an investment of $317.6 million in Bilibili. This purchase will be via the sale of Class Z shares. Tencent will buy 25,063,451 newly issued Class Z ordinary shares. The purchase price will be $12.67 per Class Z share. The purchase is expected to be complete in the near future subject to customary closing conditions.
With this purchase, Tencent Holdings expands its reach in esports. Tencent is a large investor in several esports titles such as Fortnite, League of Legends etc. It is also the distributor for PUBG in China. Specifically for Overwatch League, Bilibili is the owner of the Huangzhou Overwatch League Franchise. Tencent already has an investment in HUYA, a streaming platform. HUYA recently bought the Chengdu franchise in the Overwatch League. Chengdu is one of the eight new Overwatch League expansion teams for the upcoming season.
In addition to this, Tencent Holdings is already a 5% investor in Activision Blizzard. With overwatch League showing significant growth and investments over the years, Tencent Holdings wants to be a part of the League from the start. Its investment into Bilibili will pave the way as a more direct involvement in the Overwatch League.
BiliBili also owns a professional League of Legends team under the same name. Tencent’s investment in Bilibili Gaming brings two of the biggest esports titles under Tencent’s belt. League of Legends and Overwatch League are both diversifying via the franchise route. In the coming few weeks, we will be hearing more news about League of Legends franchise slots.
The second quarter saw Bilibili witness a 30% rise in viewership numbers to 85.04 million. The numbers rose even more later to 98.12 million.
GOATS announce their roster for NA Contenders Season 3.
@GOATSgg Roster for NA Contenders Trials S3:
🛡️@Nomy
🛡️@ChayneOW
🛡️@Colugeisback⚔️@Boostio_OW
⚔️@naGGarlai
⚔️@ayEnkae💉@Tensa_The_Sage
💉@YouMustHooeyStaff:
📔@Reklats_OW
📔@blizzardtsl
📔@byzenith pic.twitter.com/AZolZdNuR2— Goats (@GOATSgg) October 3, 2018
The GOATS organization has announced its roster for the next season of Contenders Trials. We will see the new team in action with the start of Contenders NA Trials. They commence on 6th October and will continue till the 21st. The Top four teams will qualify for Overwatch Contenders Season 3 [ North America].
Dallas Fuel provides a sneak peek to their new Practice arena.
Overwatch League teams are expected to have their own venue by 2020. With a total of twenty Overwatch League teams already announced, we can expect to have a fully functional league by Season 3. This would include ‘Home and Away’ matches and the creation of a local fan-base.
Here are some renderings of the new @DallasFuel Training Center for the @overwatchleague 2019 Season. We worked with @TTG_Gaming to give our players the best possible training environment this year. pic.twitter.com/hsNLJzcrmu
— Mike Rufail (@hastr0) October 3, 2018
The new ‘Practice Area’ might not be the final place for the Franchise in the years to come. The team is still working on its ‘Home venue’ and Training Facility in Dallas.
