How Vindex is bringing order to the chaotic world of esports

There are vast differences between the major esports leagues, but they all share a common denominator: Vindex.

Founded by former Major League Gaming heads Mike Sepso and Sundance DiGiovanni, Vindex describes itself as an esports infrastructure company — a one-stop-shop for brands and companies looking to get involved in competitive or casual gaming content. “I think this is a really necessary business for the industry at this time,” Sepso said. “There’s a lot of things that publishers and platforms are being asked to do by the end consumer that they’re not in the business of doing.” 

Since its foundation in 2019, Vindex has worked primarily in the shadows, handling relatively mundane aspects of the esports event business such as ticketing and broadcast production. But last Friday, it stepped into the limelight with the opening of its first North American esports arena in Pearland, Texas, just outside Houston.

Indeed, Vindex might be the first company to go all in on the wide-ranging business of esports infrastructure. By founding or acquiring subsidiary firms, including logistics company Esports Engine, data consultancy Let’s Play and esports arena firm Belong Gaming, Vindex has gradually formed a consortium that works in tandem to grease the wheels of a complex esports event machine. So far, Vindex has provided logistical support to major esports leagues like the Overwatch League, the Call of Duty League and the League of Legends Championship Series, in addition to prominent one-off events such as the Fortnite World Cup and non-endemic activations such as gaming competitions at the X Games. 

Last week’s opening of the Houston-area Belong Arena showcased the benefits of Vindex’s multidisciplinary strategy. “We’ve gone into a completely different level because we have the support of Esports Engine,” said Belong CEO Martyn Gibbs. “When we launch here on Friday, there will be one or two of the Esports Engine team helping us manage and curate all of the tournament activities.” In other words, outside companies interested in running events at the arena don’t need to show up with any in-house expertise or prior esports experience: an expert team of event managers is baked in.

This holistic approach allows different branches of the company to support each other organically. Let’s Play, its in-house data consultancy, uses first-party data collected through event registrations and purchases to help streamline the company’s other services. “We want to turn Belong into the most badass offering by making decisions using sound quantitative results,” said Let’s Play head Matt Samuelowitz. “Same thing with Esports Engine — we are talking about ways to ensure that we have the optimal broadcast, whether that be the right talent, how often we’re showing scores and various data elements about the broadcast itself onscreen. We’re tracking all that stuff so we can create the best content.”