Simplicity Esports and Gaming Co. Expands Retail Footprint

The growth of esports into experiential retail destinations continues.

Simplicity Esports and Gaming Co. opened a new franchise gaming center at SouthPark Mall in Strongsville, Ohio. The 2,561-square-foot PLAYlive Nation location includes 36 gaming stations that offer a mix of consoles and PCs for gamers to enjoy and compete in popular games from a variety of publishers. The new location offers concessions for in-store players, and sells an assortment of gaming merchandise and accessories.

A gaming wall at the PLAYlive Nation store in Strongsville, Ohio.

“I am excited to announce our first store opening in the suburban Cleveland area,” says Roman Franklin, president of Simplicity Esports. “The SouthPark Mall location, which is in close proximity to several major metropolitan cities, will provide gamers from surrounding states a convenient opportunity to participate in our in-person national esports tournaments.”

Simplicity Esports has PLAYlive Nation retail locations in 17 states in addition to operating professional esports teams that compete in PUBG, Fortnite, League of Legends, Overwatch, Gears of War, Smite, and multiple EA Sports titles. The company is the minority owner of both the Memphis Grizzlies and Swansea City of the English Champions League. Select PLAYlive Nation stores also carry a variety of card games including Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokémon, in addition to an assortment of pop culture apparel and collectibles.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.