Grey Matter Capital purchase 33% of Gameplan Media

Grey Matter Capital, owners of DarkZero, are purchasing 33% of gaming and esports media company Gameplan Media. The deal, which values Gameplan at over $1 million, marks a huge milestone for a company that has already made serious inroads in the sector.

You might not have heard of Gameplan Media, but you’ve likely heard about its clients. Gameplan produces content for some of the biggest names in gaming. This includes the likes of NiceWigg, Zer0, Beaulo, Genburten, Kyedae and Myth.

Gameplan Media has been bucking the trend of the esports and gaming industry since its founding just over a year ago. In an environment of cutbacks, layoffs and caution they have seen strong growth. Their team has already expanded to 10, with this investment creating more jobs.

Boasting some huge clients, Gameplan Media also serves as the creative agency for tournament organizers. This includes the Apex Legends Global Series, where Gameplan produces a range of the leagues graphic and video content. This has included some highly successful LAN content as well as the recent ALGS Championship announcement video revealing that the ALGS is headed to Sapporo, Japan. The content produced by Gameplan has been well received by the ALGS community, with fans enjoying the content almost as much as the players seem to enjoy participating in its creation. 

Gameplan has also just announced a deal with DarkZero, and will produce the organisations content moving forward.

This has been incredibly impressive for a project that was initially started as a side hustle by founders Duncan Cox and Lukas Holderried. Some esports fans may be familiar with Duncan, who spent several years running social accounts for TSM.

It was in that role that he met Lukas who managed socials and YouTube for TSM’s Apex Legends multi-LAN winning roster of ImperialHal, Reps and Albralelie. He’s also worked with big names in other esports, including clients like Jordan Fisher, SypherPK, Myth, Beaulo, and TeosGame

Their wealth of combined experience helped Gameplan spot a gap in the market. Content is key for both players and organizations. As organizations have shrunk, there has been a growing consensus that not enough has been made of the personalities and storylines that run rife throughout esports. Gameplan has excelled in helping esports players and creators create and orchestrate a brand, and helped organizations and tournament organizers shine a spotlight on their stars.

Now, Gameplan is looking to take this model to other areas. Speaking to esports.gg, Duncan explained that gaming isn't the end of Gameplans ambition:

“This partnership means the absolute world to me. Me and Lukas created this company from scratch, and the fact we’ve achieved so much and jumped right to funding within a year? It’s an achievement I'll forever be proud of.

"When Grey Matter got in touch, we knew right away that they were the perfect partner. Their network both in and out of esports lines up perfectly with our vision for GP. It’s not just about growth in gaming – we’re going to broaden our horizons and look to sports, acting and music as our next destinations. With their backing, we’re taking GP up a level and can’t wait to unlock even bigger opportunities.”

Also commenting, co-founder Lukas added: "GM investing into what Dunc and I have built in just over one year is something I'm incredibly proud of. They are without a doubt the perfect partner for us, not only giving us the capital to reach a new level, but also access to an incredible network and an amazing group of people that will be working with us to improve every part of the business, while we still stay true to our core values.”

Grey Matter Capital is an esports and gaming focused investment company. Like Gameplan, you probably haven't heard of them, but you've absolutely heard of some of their investments. They own both DarkZero and Raven. DarkZero have taken major titles in both the ALGS and Rainbow Six Siege. Raven have produced jerseys for countless organizations, currently including Moist Esports, Pioneers, Elevate and of course DarkZero.

Michael Tseng, Chief Operating Officer of Grey Matter added "Grey Matter Capital is incredibly excited about our investment in GP Media and have personally seen the impacts that Dunc and Lukas have had on the communities of the creators they support, who are the heart of this industry. GP Media's dedication to providing top-notch content editing services for esports creators, organizations, and tournament organizers positions them perfectly to capitalize on this booming market. We believe in their vision and are thrilled to support their journey in delivering engaging content that resonates with the esports community.”

News of growth and investment in esports can feel few and far between. This investment deal should provide a breath of fresh air to the industry.