Estimates for the global sports market range with high end estimates coming well in excess of $1 trillion. While traditional sports dominate this colossal market, the generational trend lines point away from broadcast and toward digital. The implications of this shift are multifaceted. The majority of live sports are already consumed online and via apps. In parallel, each successively younger generation watches progressively more video game streaming than sports.
Against that backdrop, the Arcadia team have spent the last 3 years in stealth quietly building a platform for athletic video games that is both exciting to play and watch. Last week they began to open up about their plans to bridge the gap between sports and gaming for the next generation of fans. Arcadia’s proprietary technology underpins the world’s largest free roam, multiplayer XR arena where athletes can run, jump, and dodge both virtual obstacles and real world competitors completely free of cords, cables and limitations. Today, the company has announced a groundbreaking partnership with with Warner Bros. for a mixed-reality sports experience based on the #1 box office movie Space Jam: A New Legacy featuring LeBron James. Fans of the toon-sports series can even sign up for Dream Team tryouts.
All of us at Transcend are excited to work with the founders of Arcadia to build a new kind of sports league for digital-native generations. You might consider doing so as well - they are hiring!
About Transcend Fund
Transcend is a top performing early stage venture capital firm that partners with the boldest founders in the industry to collaboratively build the future of interactive entertainment.
Founded in San Francisco by gaming veterans, the Transcend portfolio features a preeminent group of high growth digital entertainment companies around the world.
More information about Transcend can be found on our website. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news from around the Transcend ecosystem.
About Shanti Bergel
Shanti is the founding partner of Transcend and a 30 year game industry veteran.
His global operating experience spans every major platform and business model transition of the last several decades and is animated by a career-long fascination with how changes in technology and distribution affect products, services, and communities.
Shanti is a recognized member of the Techcrunch List, speaks fluent Japanese, and is a frequent speaker on early stage investment, M&A, and strategic partnerships in digital entertainment.