Esports tournament company Blast announced this week that it is opening a new office in New York City, expanding into the American esports space. Blast’s chief business officer, Leo Matlock, is moving to the new office from Copenhagen. It plans to organize several new events in the U.S. esports space, including the FNCS Pro-Am Los Angeles, the Blast.tv Austin Major and the RLCS Raleigh Major, among others. The company also plans to open an office in Mumbai before the end of the year.
Blast is one of the world’s largest esports companies and has partnered with Ubisoft, Epic Games, Valve and Riot on past events, including live tournaments and broadcasts. It’s also worked with brands such as Nike, TikTok and NASCAR. It has worked on American events before, such as the Atlanta-based Rainbow Six Major it produced in partnership with Ubisoft. But the New York office marks Blast’s first official expansion into U.S. esports territory.
Matlock said in a statement, “We’ve been deeply committed to the growth of esports in the U.S. for six years – hosting some of our most iconic live events here since 2019. Establishing a permanent hub here is a natural next step and also a powerful indicator of our long-term investment in the market. We have some incredible live events coming up across North America this year and are excited to continue to advocate this unmatched fandom and to work with national and local partners and brands, creating a positive impact everywhere we are. This move further adds to our global expansion efforts in 2025, with offices opening in India and the U.S. this year.”
According to Blast, Matlock will build out a local team at the new office, building closer ties to major game companies based the U.S. while also building out new entertainment ventures. The company says that, by the end of this year, it will hold 15 arena events in five continents.
