Mario Götze joins Virtex as an early-stage investor. The Frankfurt native explains this step into eSports and hopes that analog and digital sports will benefit from each other
It’s not just the World Cup trophy that Mesut Özil, Lionel Messi and Mario Götze have in common. No, all three are also active in eSports. Götze is the latest addition to the trio. The 2014 hero explained how this came about in a lengthy post on LinkedIn. Initially, however, there is nothing to suggest that he enjoys eSports.
“I’m a professional athlete who primarily plays traditional sports,” the Frankfurt native opens. He “sincerely believes in the importance of sport for society. But eSport brings new fascinating aspects to the table and at the same time has similarities with traditional sports”. When he looked at “the number of users and spectators in eSports, I realized that I should learn more about this area. The great thing is that eSports is still somewhat in its infancy. “
Early-stage investor at Virtex: “Just like in the real stadium “
All in all, according to the 31-year-old, there is still plenty of room for growth and development. A factor that makes an investment attractive to him. Specifically, the former Dortmund and Munich native is joining Virtex as an early-stage investor. The British development studio creates virtual stadiums in which Counter-Strike fans, for example, can follow matches up close. Spectators are thus invisible observers and can move freely across the maps and interact with other fans. “Just like in a real stadium, but enhanced with the functions that digitalization makes possible,” explains Götze.
Ultimately, the former international hopes that analog and digital sport will “find a good way to coexist, learn from each other and perhaps join forces in some areas”. This would lead to the “best possible offer for the fans.”