eFuse Acquires College CoD (CCL) and College Carball Association (CCA), Furthering Aggressive Expansion into Collegiate Esports

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Talent discovery platform eFuse announced today the acquisition of both College CoD (CCL) and the College Carball Association (CCA). While financial terms were not disclosed, the acquisition will welcome the CCL's three-member executive team, as well as CCA's three executive board members, as new full-time employees who will report to eFuse Chief Strategy Officer, Patrick Klein. Both organizations will continue to operate independently and will remain true to their mission of serving their collegiate community of dedicated gamers.

Respected as the preeminent collegiate organization in their respective franchises, the CCL will onboard an estimated 1,500 competitive Call of Duty® players across 250 teams from 180 colleges and universities, while the CCA will welcome 3,000+ students across 625 teams from 300 unique higher-education institutions. Combined, 4,500+ players from 875 teams are expected to play 4,800+ games during their upcoming seasons. That direct access to dedicated, well-structured league play immediately asserts eFuse as the authoritative collegiate home for two of esports' most competitive titles and provides brands a unique opportunity to engage an active, vocal, and loyal audience.

"The CCL and CCA not only defines the collegiate Call of Duty® and Rocket League® experience, but serves as a masterclass in audience development, triple-A event production and full-throttle expansion," said Matthew Benson, CEO of eFuse. "At eFuse, we're dedicated to helping gamers get discovered, and we can't wait to bring industry-leading opportunities to the 4,200 players that make up the CCA and CCL community. What they have built is special, and this upcoming year together will be big."

Both organizations have, and continue to grow dramatically. The CCL will realize 38% YOY growth from 180 teams during the 2021 season, with 250 teams projected to participate during the 2022 campaign. The CCA has expanded from 424 teams in fall 2019 to a mind-bending 625 teams in fall 2021 for a 32% growth in two years. The logistical, structural, and financial demands of operating leagues this size are considerable. eFuse is helping transition both orgs from volunteer-run operations, to entities with structured teams that boast dedicated employees, resources, and capital.

"For the last four years, the CCL has produced the best COD events, league, and experience for the collegiate player, period,' said Jaden Shaw, league director of the CCL. "As we continued to grow, it became obvious our big ambitions could be even bigger with some help. At eFuse, we'll have the team, leadership, and resources required to not only meet the existing demand, but accelerate our growth and scale the College CoD experience nationwide."

Consistent with eFuse's mission to help gamers get discovered, eFuse will work with both orgs to carefully transition all 4,800+ CCL and CCA matches onto the eFuse event production platform, eRena, over time. eRena has hosted dozens of events, awarding $462,000+ in total prize money and partnered with major brands including Xbox, Atlantic Records, and top gaming-peripheral company Turtle Beach.

"The CCA is not done growing," said Benjamin Rumney, executive director of the College Carball Association. "We've grown exponentially in not only the events we host for the CCA, but also for new partners who recognize our commitment to an elite experience for the collegiate Rocket League® community. We're only taking that commitment further with eFuse, and I'm certain CCA players, coaches, and admins will be excited to hear of what we have planned."

With $7.4M in seed funding, eFuse hosts 600,000 active gamers who leverage their profile to proactively apply to events, showcase recent in-game performance, or explore professional and career opportunities. Those profiles then power the eFuse "Pipeline," gaming's first definitive ranking of the top 100 college-eligible players across major titles and qualifies them for eRena events and invitationals. College coaches, pro scouts, and brands can then search those profiles, rankings, and event performances to recruit or hire players. Ultimately, eFuse is building a comprehensive ecosystem dedicated to solving gaming's talent development problem in order to fuel the future of esports.

For more information on eFuse, reach the media contact above or visit: http://www.efuse.gg

About eFuse:
As the 'LinkedIn for Gamers,' eFuse is solving esports' talent development problem by helping gamers get discovered. Be it connecting top talent with elite collegiate programs or finding a path to pro, eFuse has provided the platform rising stars need to compete at the next level. More than 600,000users actively count on eFuse to showcase recent performance, compete in big-dollar, high-production tournaments, and engage with career-making organizations. Powered by a proprietary technology stack dedicated to identifying, spotlighting, and connecting rising stars, eFuse has launched dozens of competitions off its purpose-built eRena event production service, published the industry's most objective ranking of top college-eligible players via its new 'Pipeline' product, and will soon launch a premium tool set to help creators produce the unique content they need to grow and monetize their following. eFuse hosts 45 employees from its Columbus, Ohio, headquarters, has secured $7.4M in total funding from Ohio Innovation Fund, Odell Beckham, Jr. (Cleveland Browns), and Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys), among others. The company was founded in 2018 by Austin May and Forbes' 30 under 30 alum, Matthew Benson.

Media Contact

Gabriel del Rio, GdR PR, +1 (310) 500-8972, [email protected]

SOURCE eFuse

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http://www.efuse.gg