The UK’s well-known Platform gaming bar chain, Platform Hub One Ltd, has ceased trading and entered liquidation.
The company was set up in 2018 before opening its Shoreditch venue in 2019. It rebranded during lockdown and, a year ago, a second Platform Canary Wharf gaming bar opened, plus there were plans to open more.
The Shoreditch and Canary Wharf venues are currently listed as ‘permanently closed’ on Google, and Platform has later posted an update on socials following the publication of this article:
Partners were sent messages this week, saying: “Unfortunately, due to the company’s financial position, it is with regret that I must inform you that the decision has been made to cease trading and place the company into creditors’ voluntary liquidation.
“Insolvency firm Antony Batty & Company LLP have been instructed to assist the board with placing the company into liquidation and will shortly be writing to all creditors with further information about the company and the liquidation process.”
The news comes after fellow gaming bar chain Sidequest closed its gaming bar in Westfield, London. That chain also previously operated from the Canary Wharf venue, before Platform did.
Whilst operating company Platform Hub One Ltd is liquidating, the separate holding company Platform Social Gaming Ltd is not.
‘Unfortunately, due to the company’s financial position, it is with regret that the decision has been made to cease trading and place the company into creditors’ voluntary liquidation.’
Platform
It’s clearly a tough market now, not only in esports, but in hospitality and elsewhere.
Platform is the latest esports and gaming business that has closed down, joining several from the past year during the so-called ‘esports winter’. This comes at a time where we’ve seen dwindling investment in esports, inflation, a cost of living crisis, some sponsors changing strategies and market consolidation.
Esports News UK held several events at Platform in recent years, including this recent IEM Katowice 2024 watch party in London.
We’ve reached out to the founders of Platform and will aim to provide an update if we receive on-record comment.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
