Super Evil Megacorp starts team-franchise program to energize Vainglory’s esports scene

Mobile esports is growing under the leadership of Super Evil Megacorp.

The studio, which is responsible for the mobile multiplayer online arena battler (MOBA) Vainglory, announced plans today for a franchise program for the game’s esports league. Super Evil wants to expand and support Vainglory esports teams in an effort to build an ecosystem that is competitive and entertaining to follow. To accomplish this, the studio will work with existing and new teams as franchises under the Vainglory banner. These professional teams will then get benefits like revenue sharing and the chance to represent a home city in the official Vainglory World Championships. Super Evil will also give team franchises a say in how the game’s esports scene grows going forward. Esports is a $493 million business, and it is growing rapidly, according to industry-intelligence firm Newzoo.

“At the start of the year, our live esports events were organized by a set of community and player volunteers,” Super Evil chief operating officer Kristian Segerstrale said in a statement. “Now we are taking a major step with the Vainglory Team Franchise Program to deepen our relationships with the pro teams that are committed to helping Vainglory esports grow. We are investing significant resources to help competitive teams level up their organizations and communities so we can together build a vibrant ecosystem that will define the future of esports.”

This move is a way of Super Evil acknowledging that it needs a strong esports scene to support Vainglory over the next several years. By giving teams ownership over how competition develops, and incentivizing them with a share of revenues from broadcast rights, the studio is increasing the chances that the broadcast rights could be worth a significant amount of money in the first place.

“Super Evil Megacorp has done a remarkable job at taking a virtually home-grown competitive community and elevating it to a professional esports structure in just a year, complete with team voices, sensible financial models, and a fresh way to approach local communities,” Team SoloMid player Andy Dinh said in a statement. “The new TSM Vainglory house in Las Vegas is a great example of how the community has grown over the last year, and we can’t wait to help shape the future of esports with the leader of the touchscreen category, Super Evil.”