Guild launches campaign with Sky UK

Guild Esports PLC

25 May 2023

 

Press release

25 May 2023

Guild Esports PLC

("Guild Esports", "Guild", or "the Company")

Guild launches 'No Room for Abuse' campaign with Sky UK

Guild Esports PLC (LSE: GILD), a global teams organisation and lifestyle brand, is pleased to announce the launch of a campaign in partnership with its Official Premier Partner, Sky UK ("Sky"), to champion inclusive gaming environments by raising awareness of the gender-based verbal harassment facing women gamers playing online.

Sky has provided the funding for the promotional activity to support the awareness campaign that will run online across social media channels, including Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch, in addition to the procurement of influencer talent. This funding is supplemental to Sky's existing contractual commitments as Guild's Official Premier Partner, Official HQ Partner, Official Wi-Fi and Broadband Partner, and Official Network Provider. The social media campaign, using the hashtag '#NoRoomForAbuse', will begin today following an influencer and media launch event at the Sky Guild Gaming Centre.

The influencers in attendance include gaming influencer and entrepreneur Stephanie Ijoma, Twitch streamers Sunpi and Danielle Udogaranya, and gaming influencer Elz the Witch, who began releasing content across their social media channels today, raising awareness of the campaign amongst their substantial online follower base.

The influencer and media event comprised an immersive experience simulating the verbal harassment that women gamers can face when playing video games online. The immersive experience, set in a high-tech simulation room with 360-degree high-resolution screens and sound, utilised a first-person shooter game format that participants played while being subject to instances of verbal harassment that have been directed at women gamers online (as recreated by voice actors).

To further support the campaign, Guild and Sky have conducted a sector-leading study surveying more than 4,000 gamers to provide an accurate picture of the volume of online verbal harassment women in gaming face, as well as the mental health effects associated. The results, published today, show that online abuse has significant effects on women gamers' mental and physical wellbeing:

·	49% of female gamers have experienced some level of abuse or harassment when playing or streaming online, rising to 75% for those aged 18-24.
·	35% of those surveyed said they had received violent messages, and 80% said the messages are often sexual in nature.
·	27% feared being attacked in real life following threats made on gaming platforms.
·	25% said that the abuse had led to feelings of depression, and more than 10% said it gave them suicidal thoughts.

The results of the research illustrate the importance of Guild's ongoing strategy to support female gamers. Almost 50% of gamers are women (source: Statista, 2023) but are a significant target of online abuse and underrepresented in professional play. Guild considers there to be an existing and growing market opportunity to provide a safe space for women online and believes it can capitalise on the underserved audience through the launch of all-female teams. Guild currently fields all-female teams in VALORANT and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Jasmine Skee, CEO of Guild Esports, commented: "Improving opportunities for women in esports is a key commitment of our partnership with Sky. While there's still work to be done, we're proud to be at the forefront of fostering greater female participation in the sector and creating an inclusive gaming community. We hope that by raising awareness of the abuse affecting female gamers through our #NoRoomForAbuse campaign, alongside a collective effort of support and education, we can make real progress in creating a better gaming experience for all."

Amber Pine, Managing Director, Broadband and Connectivity, Sky Broadband, said: "While online gaming is known to foster community and many positive online connections, more must be done to ensure it is fully inclusive and a haven for all. The results of this research are shocking and should alarm the gaming community. It is completely unacceptable for this type of sexist abuse to be so prevalent. Guild and Sky are determined to improve the experience for women in gaming. We're calling on players to become allies and stand with us to make clear there is no room for abuse in gaming."

Stephanie Ijoma, gaming influencer and entrepreneur, commented: "As women, the abuse we receive on a daily basis is simply unacceptable, which is why campaigns like this are so important to challenge the gaming community to become part of the change. It's crucial that we work together in making the online gaming world safer for women as there is absolutely no room for abuse."

For further information please contact:

Guild Esports
Jasmine Skee Chief Executive Neil Thapar Investor Relations	via Tancredi [phone] [phone]
Tennyson Securities
Corporate Broker Peter Krens	[phone]
Tancredi Intelligent Communication Media Relations
Helen Humphrey Charlie Hobbs Maddy Newman [e-mail]	[phone] [phone] [phone]

About Guild Esports:

Guild Esports PLC is a global fan-focused team organisation and lifestyle brand that fields professional players in gaming competitions under the Guild banner. Our in-house training academy aims to attract and nurture the best esports talent, and our goal is to provide the ultimate entertainment experience alongside a distinctive lifestyle brand authentic to the esports community worldwide. Guild is led by an experienced management team of entertainment sector and esports veterans and co-owned by David Beckham. The Company is headquartered in the UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: GILD) and on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States (ticker: GULDF). Please visit www.guildesports.com for more information.

About Sky UK:

Sky is one of Europe's leading media and entertainment companies and is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter. At Sky we Believe in Better. It's in our DNA.

We're famous for innovation. We offer streaming services NOW and WOW; the world's smartest TV, Sky Glass; and the best aggregation platform, Sky Q. We provide connectivity you can count on in mobile, and fast, secure, reliable residential and business broadband.

We're Europe's premium content producer. We create award-winning original content, produce the biggest live sporting events, and we provide free access to news and the arts.

We believe that we can have a positive impact on society, by supporting and creating tens of thousands of jobs, addressing digital inequality, being a diverse and inclusive employer, and becoming net zero carbon by 2030.

 

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