Esports Scotland has announced it has been acquired by David Hamilton and will operate under the eRena Sports brand.
The Scottish esports body, which has been largely dormant since delaying its Scottish Esports League last year and working to pay back those it owes, made the announcement on its Twitter page just now.
The Esports Scotland social media pages have been updated with eRena Sports branding, replacing the Esports Scotland name and logo. And Esports Scotland founder and CEO James Hood has stepped down from his role, to become head of business development at eRena Sports.
Scottish Esports League (SEL) 6 is now set to take place at Dundee and Angus College (more on the new partnership with the college at the bottom of this article).
Dundee-based entrepreneur David Hamilton is a board member at game developer Ninja Kiwi, and is a majority shareholder of eRena Sports, which ran an eScottish Football Cup last year, as reported by The Courier.
Esports Scotland said in a post titled ‘Levelling Up Esports in Scotland’:
“David Hamilton is excited to announce the acquisition of Esports Scotland, marking a significant milestone in the Scottish esports landscape.”
“Esports Scotland will merge with eRena Sports, where David is the majority shareholder.
“The expanded entity, which will operate under the eRena Sports brand, has ambitions to build a significant presence in both grassroots and professional esports in Scotland and beyond.
“David, renowned for his work with Ninja Kiwi, believes eRena Sports is poised to emerge as the leading force in Scotland’s esports industry, by forging strong ties with educational institutions and community outreach initiatives, alongside its existing tournament activities and new advisory services to the sporting and corporate sectors.”
The news follows recent reports of Esports Scotland sending out payments to those it owes.
Esports News UK understands it hasn’t yet paid everyone it owes – we’ve reached out to Esports Scotland founder James Hood for clarification and will update this article should we hear back.
James has also been appointed head of business development at eRena Sports.
James Hood said on Linkedin: “This merger represents a significant evolution for our organisation, and I am confident that under the eRena Sports brand, we will continue to grow and solidify our presence in both grassroots and professional esports, not only in Scotland but globally. I look forward to this new chapter, where we will continue to break new ground and support the next generation of esports talent.
“As I step down from my role as CEO of Esports Scotland, my commitment to the esports industry remains unwavering. The challenges of the past 18 months have been tough, but they’ve also been invaluable in helping me grow, learn, and become even more determined to make a lasting impact in this field.”
James Hood, eRena Sports
“I’m excited to bring this renewed focus and energy to my new role at eRena Sports, where I’ll be working alongside a talented team David Hamilton, Helen Parker, Mike Martin and Blair Davidson to achieve great things. If you’d like to stay connected or explore opportunities for collaboration in this new chapter, I’d love to hear from you.”
We’ve also reached out to David Hamilton – who is a co-owner of The Scottish Deer Centre, CoelBrew, Scooply and more – for any further comment on the future of Esports Scotland.
The news also comes after it was announced that the separate Scottish Games Week will be skipping 2024 due to ‘disruption across the videogames ecosystem and political landscape’, and will return in 2025.
SEL 6 announced: New partnership with Dundee and Angus College sees revival of esports tournament series
On August 30th 2024, Esports Scotland/eRena Sports announced a new partnership with Dundee and Angus College.
This will see the Scottish Esports League (SEL) return, with the college set to host the sixth edition.
This is a new version of a partnership that previously existed between Esports Scotland and the college, which ended following SEL 5.
Laura Louch, Curriculum Project Lead at Dundee and Angus College, said: “We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with eRena Sports! This collaboration opens up incredible opportunities for our esports students . Looking forward to SEL 6 at Dundee and Angus College.”
eRena Sports said in an announcement:
“Esports Scotland, managed and owned by eRena Sports, is thrilled to announce an exclusive educational collaboration with Dundee and Angus College.
“This partnership aims to enhance the learning opportunities for esports students by integrating formal educational paths with practical industry exposure.
“The initial joint venture will involve the revival of the SEL tournament series, with the dates for SEL 6 set to be revealed shortly. Operated by Dundee and Angus College on behalf of Esports Scotland, the SEL series will enable college students to acquire modern industry skills, unlocking a plethora of new career avenues, internships, job placements, hands-on experiences, and cutting-edge skills to kickstart their professional journeys.
“Laura Louch from Dundee and Angus College reiterated the college’s dedication to establishing top-tier learning partnerships to ensure an unparalleled student experience. Together, this cooperative endeavour is dedicated to establishing a dynamic learning environment where students can excel, innovate and flourish.”
Related article from the archives (February 2024): Esports Scotland responds to community criticism around unpaid invoices
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.
