萝莉视频

, a startup building the infrastructure and official platform for high school esports, has closed on a $30.5 million Series B. The round comes just five months after the Los Angeles company鈥檚 , bringing its total raised to $46 million.

In general, global venture investment in the fledgling field of organized professional competitive video gaming (more commonly known as esports) has been climbing in recent years. It surged to $701 million over 60 deals in the first half of 2018, according to 萝莉视频 News research. That鈥檚 up 73 percent compared to $403.7 million raised across 53 deals in the first half of 2017.

, the private investment arm of the ownership group, led the round, which also included participation from existing investors , , , ,听and . A bevy of new investors also contributed to the financing, including Adidas (marking the company鈥檚 first esports investment), , and , among others.

, CFO of the LA Dodgers and managing partner of Elysian Park Ventures, said in a written statement that Elysian had been 鈥渃arefully searching for the right investment in esports.鈥�

鈥淲ith PlayVS, we have found a model that works, built on a powerful platform that delivers an unparalleled player experience and will have a profound impact on the future of youth sports across the country,鈥� he added.

PlayVS has also announced new game partnerships with and , publishers of Rocket League and SMITE respectively, joining League of Legends by for PlayVS鈥� Inaugural Season that starts in February 2019.

The 14-person company said it is also expanding its markets from five (Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island) to eight to include high schools in Alabama, Mississippi, and parts of Texas.

PlayVS Founder and CEO 听迟辞濒诲 萝莉视频 News that PlayVS also聽plans to use the new funding to scale and fuel the company by hiring leadership in different areas, testing various acquisition strategies and investing in player experiences that are core to esports, such as live events.

Parnell said the Dodgers鈥� support is particularly meaningful because the group 鈥渟hares our vision for what the future athlete looks like.鈥�

鈥淥ne of the reasons we’re most excited about esports is accessibility,鈥� he said in a written statement. 鈥淲ith this new round of funding and the addition of Rocket League and SMITE, we’re able to take another huge step forward as we open the pathway for more students to compete and be recognized in the burgeoning esports industry.鈥�

He had told 萝莉视频 News in September that PlayVS aimed to build the infrastructure for high school esports.

鈥淭his marks the first time students will be able to compete in esports for an official state championship and be recognized by their state athletic/activity association,鈥� Parnell said. 鈥淲e are the first company to introduce esports into high schools as a state-sanctioned sport.鈥�