Modern Times Group invests in 11 U.S. and European game startups

Modern Times Group (MTG) said it has invested in 11 gaming startups during the past year or so. The Stockholm, Sweden-based MTG made the investments in categories, including online gaming, esports, virtual reality, and augmented reality.This disclosure makes MTG one the most active investors in the games sector, with a portfolio of gaming content, software tools, live experiences, and retail products.In June, Goldman Sachs reported that esports investors will benefit from the transition of competitive gaming to a professional sport with well-established leagues that capitalize on original content, media rights, and multi-year, multi-territory sponsorship deals.“We’ve been heads-down, and this is a good time to talk about our investments,” said Scott Rupp, managing director at MTGx USA, in an interview with GamesBeat. “We were getting them done and getting the portfolio to a significant size.”Goldman Sachs said that between 2013 and 2018, $3.3 billion of venture capital was invested in esports-related startups. In 2018 so far, $1.4 billion was invested, a nearly 90 percent year-on-year increase from the total amount of funding in 2017.