Danish Esports Organization North Closes

Danish Esports organization North has closed after just four years in operation, with the news having been broken by Football Club Copenhagen. The organization was one of the many to be hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with lead investors Parken Sport & Entertainment and Nordisk Film having pulled their funding.

Chairman of North Lars Bo Jeppsen, who is also Director of Parken Sport & Entertainment stated that the investors were “very sorry to close North”, with the organization having made a significant impression upon the Esports scene during its short time in operation.

Why North Was Forced to Close

The news followed the departure of ex-CEO Christopher Håkonsson at the end of 2020, who left the organization after just 12 months. It was Alexander Pederson who took over from Håkonsson on an interim basis. However, despite Pederson helping North secure partnerships with the likes of YouGov, MM Vision, Nocco, EPOS and Capgemini, the organization was still ultimately unable to keep its head above water.

With North having required “significant continued investment to create a sustainable business in the future, the organization was unable to find any suitable investors. As such, the short-term future of the organization will be away from Esports, as they focus upon their core business.

What the Future Holds for North

Chairman Jeppsen has left the door open for a return to Esports in the future, however the situation with the global pandemic having not allowed the org to progress in the way that they had hoped to. Investors will continue to invest in FC Copenhagen. As a result, the Danish soccer club will now take over North’s FIFA operations, with the team competing in the eSuperliga.

The closure of North demonstrates just how testing a time it has been for some of the smaller names in the industry. As well as this, it also shows that investors still favor “real-life” sports, as opposed to gaming. Parken Sport & Entertainment Chairman, Bo Rygaard, did raise the hope of future investment however.