Guild Esports, the UK-based esports venture backed by soccer icon David Beckham, has reportedly been put up for sale by its owners through an insolvency marketplace.
The City AM publication has now reported that Guild – founded in 2018 and based in East London – is available for buyers with a bid deadline of Friday (August 15).
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Guild was the first esports firm to go public through the London Stock Exchange in 2020, but has recently run into serious financial difficulties.
This came despite it having, over its first few years, entered into commercial tie-ups with major brands such as Sky Broadband and Coca-Cola.
Beckham holds 3.05% of Guild, the sixth-largest stake in the company, but is a founding shareholder and its most prominent investor.
The esports company has reportedly been put up for sale by its current owners, investment fund DCB Sports.
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By GlobalDataDCB entered into a deal to buy Guild last August, after financial difficulties at the latter company were made plain the prior month.
That deal involved all Guild properties and liabilities being transferred to DCB.
The last publicly available trading update from Guild covers the six months up to the end of March 2024, and shows a 40% drop in revenue and a loss of £1.8 million ($2.43 million) for that period.
At the time of the company's sale to DCB, Guild's chief executive, Jasmine Skee, said: "The board is looking to secure the long-term future of Guild Esports, both the PLC and the Guild brand.
“Our deal with DCB Sports is an important step in that direction, as DCB Sports will allow Guild's management to deliver on its strategic aims of building a world-class gaming-led media brand. Further announcements will be made in due course.”
