Amuka Esports acquires Waves Gaming, Canada's largest esports venue

TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2020 /CNW/ - Amuka Esports is pleased to announce it has acquired a 100% interest in the assets of Waves E-Gaming Inc.  (Herein "Waves"), Canada's largest esports and gaming venue.  The state-of-the-art facility is strategically situated minutes from York University and sits on the border between Toronto and Vaughan.  Waves is over 14,000 sq. ft in size, boasts over 100 PC and console game stations and sees more than 1,000 gamers every month.   It's a place where people can play, compete, create, and stream all under one roof. 

Amuka Esports CEO Ben Feferman calls this acquisition the most significant move the company has made to date.  "Esports is all about community.  We've built several great brands that are driving tremendous value, but we needed a physical space to bring them all together.  Waves will not only be the new headquarters for our company but will serve as the community headquarters for Canadian gamers."

Waves was co-founded by Ahmad Al Jamal who opened the doors in December, 2018.  As a passionate gamer himself, he wanted to create a unique gaming experience for the local community.  "It's been amazing what we've been able to build in just one short year.  We are very excited about some big changes coming to the facility like a new restaurant, a bar, and more production space.  This will be Waves 2.0 and these upgrades will really make this a world-class facility."

The demand for esports venues continues to remain strong in 2020.  Many commercial real estate owners are turning to esports to gentrify older retail malls and attract a completely different demographic.  Amuka Esports CFO Aaron Meckler is developing a new blueprint for property owners to be able to get esports venues into their malls and plazas without the prohibitive capital expenditures typically involved.  "There has been a retail reckoning as many stores are losing out to Amazon and the other ecommerce behemoths.  Esports is a new stream that thrives on an in-person experience and if done properly, can reverse the tide of many retail spaces."

Waves co-founder Khaled Sherif, will be taking on the new role of Chief Operating Officer at Amuka Esports.  He'll be tasked with developing greater synergies with the Amuka Esports portfolio which already includes Organized Gaming, Level Six, Mount Phenom and a soon to be announced tournament team.  "One of things that sponsors always tell me is they want the ability to own multiple verticals during their campaigns.  With Waves now a central part of the Amuka Esports hub, we'll be able to better activate with our current and new sponsors, in ways we were never able to do before."

With a new partner, it means Waves can start creating and hosting more world class events.  According to community manager Laura Eichhorn, "Having a full tournament, content and media team behind us, will be a game-changer for the team.  We're now rolling out some major events in Smash, Rainbow Six and CounterStrike that will take gaming in Toronto to the next level."

For more information on Amuka Esports contact [email protected] 

About Amuka Esports

Amuka Esports creates localized esports hubs in cities across North America.  Each hub consists of a game venue, tournament organizer, content team, merchandise brands and incubator. 

About Waves

Waves Gaming is Canada's first and largest dedicated esports venue.  With over 100 PC and console game stations as well as tournaments 5-6 nights a week, Waves has become the place for both casual and core gamers to come together. 

Disclaimers

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" including statements with respect to Amuka Esports and its acquisitions or its business lines. All forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs as well as various assumptions.  By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Readers should not rely on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Amuka Esports or its subsidiaries.

SOURCE Amuka Esports