E1050 PlayVS' Delane Parnell on journey from the projects to ~$100M raised, breaking thru in tech | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Play Versus is an eSports company that aims to build a competitive community for people who want to play video games competitively, focusing on high school and collegiate leagues.

Key Insights

• 🖐️ Play Versus offers a unique solution to the eSports industry by focusing on high school and collegiate leagues, providing infrastructure and support to build competitive communities.
• 👾 The company has successfully secured partnerships with the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations and game publishers, giving them a competitive edge.
• 💗 Play Versus aims to monetize their platform through a subscription-based model, capitalizing on the growing popularity of eSports.
• 🙈 The company has seen significant growth, with thousands of schools and players participating in their leagues and a substantial waitlist for future expansion.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did Play Versus secure partnerships with game publishers?

Play Versus recognized the need to work with game publishers to integrate their games into their competitive leagues. By leveraging their partnership with the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (NFHS), Play Versus gained access to a unique distribution channel, making it more appealing for publishers to collaborate.

Q: Does Play Versus offer a safe environment for gamers, especially considering the toxicity often found in online gaming communities?

Yes, Play Versus provides a safer environment for gamers, particularly in their high school leagues. With limited communication between players and strong adult supervision, the platform discourages harassment and ensures a positive experience for participants.

Q: How does Play Versus monetize their platform, given that other gaming platforms often struggle to generate revenue?

Play Versus aims to build a subscription-based model, providing a single place for competitive gaming. By aggregating amateur eSports and offering a subscription service for players, Play Versus plans to create a vast user base and monetize it, similar to successful subscription-based platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Q: What are the future growth plans for Play Versus?

Play Versus aims to continue expanding its leagues and reach more schools and players across the United States. They also plan to diversify their offerings and potentially explore partnerships with professional eSports leagues to provide a seamless pathway for talented amateur players.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Play Versus creates competitive leagues for high school and college gamers, providing infrastructure, scheduling, and technical integration with game publishers.

• The company charges $64 per player per season, primarily paid for by the schools participating.

• Play Versus has seen significant growth, with participation from thousands of schools, tens of thousands of players, and over 100,000 players on their waitlist.