WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH

What WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH does

WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH was a German private limited company (GmbH) headquartered in Berlin that developed and produced community-focused gaming and esports festivals under the Gamevention brand. The company's core product was the Gamevention festival — a multi-format event combining esports tournaments, cosplay competitions, live music performances, a medieval market, and content creator streaming — held in Hamburg Messehallen in 2019 (~10,000 visitors) and Holstenhallen Neumünster in 2022 (~25,000 visitors across 85,000 m²). The organization also launched DIGI1, a digital festival format, in 2020 as a pandemic substitute for the cancelled physical event.

The underlying technology stack was operational rather than productized: physical event management infrastructure, live streaming capabilities for content creators broadcasting from the venue, and a bilingual (German/English) content website serving as an information hub with esports betting guides and team profiles. Partnerships with ESL, Wacken Open Air, E-Sport-Verband Schleswig-Holstein, Gamecity Hamburg, and Land Schleswig-Holstein provided competitive structure, music programming, government support, and indie developer exposure.

Revenue was generated through a hybrid B2C/B2B model: consumer ticket sales, exhibitor booth rentals, and sponsorship packages targeting gaming publishers (SCS Software, Rockfish Games), hardware manufacturers, and media partners. No pricing was publicly disclosed. After 2022, all physical events were cancelled, the website transitioned to an independent archive, and the company has effectively ceased active operations under its founding entity. The company was led by Managing Directors Oliver Welling and Volker Hansch.

Name

WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH

Legal name

WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH

Website

https://gamevention.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH was a Berlin-based German private company that organized the Gamevention community gaming and esports festival in Northern Germany (Hamburg 2019, Neumünster 2022), featuring esports tournaments, cosplay competitions, and live music. The festival ceased operations after 2022.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gaming Festival & Event Services

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur/Grassroots Esports Leagues & Community Tournaments (MPAFADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Invitational & Showcase Events (All-Star, Charity, Showmatches) (MPAGANAI), Esports Platforms & Competitive Gaming Networks (BPAMAKAH)

Keywords

• Gaming festival events
• Esports tournament organization
• Gaming community events
• Festival exhibitor services
• Esports information portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Klein Barkau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor and Sponsorship Revenue: Revenue generated from businesses renting exhibition space and sponsoring the gaming festival. Various packages offered from indie booths to premium sponsorship with comprehensive brand integration across the event.
2. Visitor Ticket Sales: General admission and special business tickets sold to festival attendees for entry to the gaming, esports, cosplay, and entertainment activities.
3. Music and Entertainment Events: Revenue from concerts, DJ sets, and live performances featuring artists like Marvin Muth and Wacken Metal Battle halbfinale events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH organized and produced the Gamevention gaming and esports festival in Northern Germany (Hamburg in 2019, Neumünster in 2022), combining esports tournaments, cosplay competitions, live music, a medieval market, and content creator streaming into a unified community event. Following the cessation of physical events after 2022, the company maintains the Gamevention website as an independent information portal providing esports betting guides and team profiles.

Product overview

WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH operated the Gamevention Festival — a community-focused gaming and eSports event in Northern Germany (2019-2022). The festival featured competitive eSports tournaments across multiple game titles (CS2, League of Legends, Rocket League, FIFA), cosplay contests with walking acts, live music performances including the Wacken Metal Battle semifinal, and a unique medieval market area. Following the cessation of physical events after 2022, the company now maintains the Gamevention website as an independent archive providing informational content about eSports betting guides, German team profiles, and gaming culture. The current offering consists of educational betting information across major eSports titles rather than a product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gamevention Festival A community-focused gaming and esports festival held in Northern Germany (Hamburg 2019, Neumünster 2022) featuring competitive esports tournaments (FIFA, League of Legends, Rocket League, CS2), cosplay competitions, live music performances, a medieval market, and streaming corners where content creators interacted with fans.
• DIGI1 Digital Festival A completely digital festival format created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring online tournaments, streaming events, and digital community activities to keep the gaming community engaged during lockdowns.
• eSports Betting Information Portal An informational web portal providing esports betting strategy guides, team and player profiles, and gaming culture information for Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and Dota 2, including responsible gambling information.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000+ visitors attracted at peak 2022 event
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Holstenhallen NeumünstercoreOthersVenue partner hosting the Gamevention 2022 event. The Holstenhallen provided 85,000 m² of event space for the gaming festival including esports arenas, exhibition halls, concert stages, and medieval market areas.
• Messe HamburgcoreOthersVenue partner for the inaugural Gamevention 2019 event. The Hamburg Messehallen hosted the first gaming festival with over 10,000 visitors attending the premiere.
• Land Schleswig-HolsteincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial supporter and funder of the Gamevention 2022 event. The state government provided support for the regional gaming festival as part of economic development initiatives.
• E-Sport-Verband Schleswig-HolsteincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for organizing official Landesmeisterschaften (state championships) in FIFA, League of Legends, and Rocket League at the 2022 event. The esports association provided competitive structure and official championship status.
• Gamecity HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for indie developer support. Gamecity Hamburg provided free exhibition space for independent game developers to showcase their projects to the festival audience.
• ESLmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTournament support partner providing competitive structure and esports expertise for tournament operations at the gaming festival.
• Wacken Open AirmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for hosting the Wacken Metal Battle Halbfinale Nord (German semifinal) at Gamevention 2022. Metal bands competed for a chance to perform at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival.
• GamesWirtschaftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNews partner providing media coverage and industry news visibility for the gaming festival and esports events.
• OXMOX HamburgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCity magazine media partner providing local Hamburg coverage and audience reach for the gaming event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Wacken Open Air: Legendary German metal music festival that partnered with Gamevention 2022 to host the Wacken Metal Battle semifinal. Comparable as a large-scale, multi-day German festival operator and a strategic partner that shared cross-genre audience crossover with Gamevention.
• Freaks 4U Gaming: Berlin-based German gaming media and event operator (known for gamescom content and influencer marketing). Directly comparable as a German-region gaming media/events business targeting the same exhibitor/sponsor budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Paris Games Week: Major European consumer gaming expo (now revived under a new operator) targeting the same consumer + B2B exhibitor audience as Gamevention. Represents another large-scale gaming event incumbent competing for sponsor mindshare in continental Europe.
• ESL Gaming: Global esports tournament and league operator (IEM, ESL One, ESL Pro League) that was a tournament support partner to Gamevention. Competes for the same esports event/audience sponsorship budgets across Europe.
• Gamescom (Koelnmesse): The world's largest gaming trade fair held annually in Cologne. Serves the same B2B exhibitor + consumer gaming audience as Gamevention but at vastly greater scale, representing the dominant incumbent in the German gaming-events market.

Direct peers

• PAX (Penny Arcade Expo): Major community gaming convention series (PAX East/West/South/Unplugged) combining esports, cosplay, indie showcases, and content creator presence. Highly comparable multi-vertical community gaming festival format, though operating primarily in North America.
• BLAST: Esports tournament organizer running BLAST Premier (CS2) and other global events. Directly comparable as a tournament/event operator serving both competitive audiences and B2B sponsors in the same vertical.
• PGL: Independent esports tournament production company running majors across CS2, Dota 2 and other titles. Operates the same core business of producing esports competitive events with B2B sponsorship packages as Gamevention did at smaller scale.
• DreamHack: Operates large-scale community gaming festivals in Europe (e.g., DreamHack Hannover) combining esports tournaments, cosplay, LAN gaming, and content creator presence — the closest direct format competitor to Gamevention in the DACH region.

Others

• ESBD (Esport-Bund Deutschland): National German esports federation and ecosystem body. Comparable to WE LOVE ESPORTS' partner E-Sport-Verband Schleswig-Holstein and represents the institutional layer that Gamevention engaged with to legitimize its state championship programming.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weloveesports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WE LOVE ESPORTS GmbH