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The World Esports Association, or WESA, announced two new members last week. It welcomes North America’s Splyce and Denmark’s North, two organizations with non-endemic esports roots, to its ranks.
This should further strengthen WESA’s ability to bring important changes to the esports scene.
Two non-native esports organizations
Both Splyce and North exist due to traditional sports owners’ ventures.
Splyce is partially owned by Delaware North, the parent company of the NHL’s Boston Bruins. It was founded in Rochester, New York, in 2015 and has teams in eight titles around the globe, including the reigning champions in Halo, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Marvel vs. Capcom.
Splyce CEO and co-founder Marty Strenczewilk commented:
“This is an exciting time for team owners, as we are able to work together to continue advancing the infrastructure and sustainability of this industry for our staff, players, and shareholders. Working with the storied teams that make up WESA was an obvious choice for us at Splyce, as it gives us the opportunity to work on projects that can have a huge impact on the entirety of esports alongside owners who are as passionate and dedicated as we are.”
North is the esports affiliate of the famous Danish football club F.C. Copenhagen. The organization’s competitive CS:GO team was founded in January after signing ex-Dignitas players.
North Chief Gaming Officer Jacob Toft-Andersen also shared his thoughts about joining WESA:
“Since the debut of North earlier this year, we have taken steps to grow our organization’s awareness within the esports industry. We are excited for the opportunity to join WESA and continue leaving our footprint in the esports world. We look forward to working with WESA and its Members to further professionalize the industry as a whole.”
Dipping into traditional sports
With this move, WESA shows its dedication to bringing more structure to the esports industry. It also helps solidify its position as the leading global esports association.
“These organizations know the importance of structure and order in an industry, and will aid WESA’s mission to solidify these facets within our own,” said WESA Executive Chairman and Commissioner Ken Hershman.
WESA continues to grow
With the addition of two new teams, the association now totals 13 esports teams. This is quite impressive considering it was founded just one year ago.
While it has been a bumpy ride on some occasions, the member list is consistently growing. Back in April, WESA welcomed SK Gaming and Renegades to its organization. Only a couple of months later, Optic Gaming joined the association. At the same time, FaZe Clan decided to stick with the organization.
As the association grows, it’s better able to target problems like player mistreatment and payment issues, and it plays an important role in the overall esports community.
