Axiomatic Gaming

Axiomatic Gaming is an esports and video gaming portfolio company that began operations in 2015. The company has used a mix of strategic investments, acquisitions, and partnerships to build its esports portfolio. The company has made strategic investments in esports related ventures such as Epic Games (the developer of Fortnite), broadcasting platform VENN, and tournament platform Macherino. Its largest and most impactful esports related acquisition remains its first entry into the esports scene, the acquisition of  controlling interest in esports franchise Team Liquid in 2016. 

Team Liquid is an esports team organization founded in 2000 and the third most valuable team in 2020 (estimated valuation: USD 310 million; revenue: USD 28 million). Team Liquid competes in more than 10 esports titles and owns a franchise spot worth USD 10 million in the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). Team Liquid announced its entry into the ​​massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) space by signing World of Warcraft's Limit Guild (Limit) in January 2022. It plans to expand into other MMORPG games such as Final Fantasy XIV Online and other upcoming titles. 

Team Liquid owns an 8,000 sq ft training facility worth USD 1.5 million in Los Angeles, opened in 2018. Team Liquid’s partnership with SAP (starting from 2018) is similar to Cloud9’s with Microsoft, as analytics is becoming a key aspect of esports. Its sponsorship partners include Alienware, Monster Energy, SAP, Honda, and Twitch. In August 2020, Team Liquid announced Liquid+ (in beta), a dedicated platform for fans to engage with the team across social media channels to claim rewards, and its partnership with social media analytics platform Zoomph. The announcements portray a clear strategy to improve Liquid's marketability by improving fan engagement. Furthermore, it launched a scouting combine in North America in April 2022, to build a talent pipeline in first-person shooter games.

In 2021, Team Liquid announced that it entered into multi-year partnerships with the wireless network operator Verizon and the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. As a result of the partnership, Verizon will become Team Liquid’s official 5G partner and its logo will be featured on the team’s jerseys. In partnership with Coinbase, Team Liquid’s store was to incorporate crypto payments, Coinbase’s logo was to be featured on Team Liquid jerseys, and the two entities were expected to collaborate on content and develop technology to improve the fan experience. It also partnered with Naruto Shippuden, Bud Light, and trading and market maker firm IMC Trading in 2021.

Team Liquid raised USD 35 million through its parent company, Axiomatic Gaming, in a funding round led by Ares Management, an investment firm that holds minority interests in traditional sports teams like Atlético de Madrid and McLaren Racing. The round, which included the participation of  Revolution Growth and Hiro Capital, valued the esports team organization at USD 415 million. The fresh funds were earmarked for potential acquisitions in new verticals, growing its international fanbase, partnership and activations, and infrastructure development in Brazil—its fastest-growing market.