Ourgame International Holdings, an online game operator based in Beijing, China, reported that it will expand into the .5 billion social casino gaming market in the U.S. this year, and will expand its current international operations in eSports.
Ourgame Chairman Eric Yang Qing said in a regulatory filing that the company will complete a transition “from a Chinese card and board games provider to a global mind sports games and entertainment company.” “Mind sports” refers to games requiring mental skill, and to skill-based tournaments such as eSports contests.
Ourgame, founded in 1988 and listed in Hong Kong in 2014, has provided popular card and board games online, including Texas Hold ‘em and proprietary games including “Fight the Landlord” and “Chinese Chess.” In 2015, the company acquired WPT Enterprises, operator o the World Poker Tour, from Bwin.party Digital Entertainment. Last year, the company launched PlayWPT Poker and PlayWPT Slots for online and mobile platforms.
Ourgame calls the platforms the “freemium” model, in which play is offered for free while advanced features can be purchased.
“If successful, the freemium model can substantially improve the earnings potential for World Poker Tour,” said Jefferies equity analyst Johnny Wong Kin-man in a recent report. “We believe that the strength of the WPT brand and Ourgame’s freemium poker experience in China will help Ourgame get a share of the social casino gaming market in the US.”
Yang said in his regulatory filing that broadcasts and online streaming of eSports events is another part of the company’s immediate future. “Allied e-Sports is well on its way to becoming the best global platform for games publishers, tournaments, content creation and broadcasting for eSports,” he said.
