Epic Games is the biggest independent gaming company in the world. They bought SuperAwesome because of the technology we had developed to protect kids online. We liked that they were genuine in wanting to leverage what we had built for the biggest possible positive impact. Once acquired, they made our tool free to all users, ultimately resulting in a better industry for kids. I still catch up regularly with those at SuperAwesome and Epic Games and have a keen interest in the space. One of the key trends I observe is the eSports industry (see Thematic Insights). The eSports market has boomed in recent years with more and more viewers tuning in to watch their favourite games being played by some of the best gamers in the world. By 2024, there are expected to be 577.2 million viewers of eSports worldwide, a large increase from the 397.8 million in 2019 2. Equally, annual global gaming revenue will exceed $200bn by 2023, which is more than worldwide box office earnings, music streaming and album sales, and the top five wealthiest sports leagues combined 3. Whether you approve or not, there is a massive growth story in this area. Many people have a romanticised view of the physical world and companies spend a lot on it when reach and effect is much bigger in the virtual world. We've seen it in the transition of commerce to eCommerce and this is happening in the world of sports as well (see Sports & Sponsorship).

2 https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109956/global-esports-audience/. 3 https://www.bcg.com/en-mideast/2021/gaming-and-esports-sector-are-the-next-shift-in-media.