GameSquare and Barnes & Noble College Partner To Create New Collegiate Gaming Tournaments and Programming
Strategic partnership focused on delivering esports and gaming programming and access to more than 1,100 physical and virtual campus bookstores, reaching nearly 6 million students
FRISCO, Texas, Sept. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GameSquare Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:GAME), ("GameSquare", or the "Company"), a next-generation media company with roots in gaming and creator entertainment, today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Barnes & Noble College (BNC), a division of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE:BNED), to deliver dynamic collegiate esports and gaming programming across the U.S. GameSquare and Barnes & Noble College aim to build gaming-related programming designed to engage nearly 6 million students across over 1,100 physical and virtual campus bookstores in the US.
This partnership brings together two organizations with a shared commitment to creating innovative and engaging student experiences. Under the terms of the agreement, Barnes & Noble College will promote and support a new collegiate esports and gaming program developed and managed by GameSquare's expanding experiences business. The programming will feature multiple competitions throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, including high-impact events such as online qualifiers and live finals held on a national stage. GameSquare and Barnes & Noble College will release the full event schedule later this year.
"Gaming and competitive esports are a huge part of campus life, and it's important to offer programming that fosters competition, education, and social connection," said Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare. "We are providing students with opportunities to build their legacies on campus and earn valuable experiences, all with support and guidance from our established platform. We're thrilled to partner with Barnes & Noble College to expand our reach and deliver meaningful, student-centered experiences across campuses nationwide."
Gaming and esports have become deeply embedded in the college experience. According to ygam.org, over 90% of college students play video games, with 35% playing daily. According to Ed Tech Magazine, more than 200 U.S. colleges and universities now offer varsity-level, competitive video gaming, with a growing number also introducing dedicated academic tracks and degrees in gaming and esports.
"At Barnes & Noble College, we're committed to creating vibrant and innovative campus experiences. Gaming and esports are a natural extension of the spirited, social, and community-driven student life we support," stated Celeste Risimini-Johnson, Chief Merchandise & Operations Officer, Barnes & Noble College. "We partner with dynamic brands that resonate with our campus partners and the students we serve, and through our collaboration with GameSquare, we're excited to offer students new opportunities to connect, compete, and thrive — whether from their residence hall or on a national stage."
Today's announcement supports GameSquare's student-focused mission, and leverages the Company's rapidly growing experiences business which includes recent activations for Displate at San Diego Comic-Con, 100 Thieves Summer Block Party, EPIC's Into the Zone Feat. Clix in London and Deloitte at North Carolina A&T University for our partners at Burrell Communications.
ABOUT BARNES & NOBLE EDUCATION, INC.
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE:BNED) is a leading solutions provider for the education industry, driving affordability, access, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide and ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Through its family of brands, BNED offers campus retail services and academic solutions, wholesale capabilities, and more. BNED is a company serving all who work to elevate their lives through education, supporting students, faculty, and institutions as they make tomorrow a better and smarter world.
For more information about Barnes & Noble Education, visit www.bned.com.
For more information about Barnes & Noble College, visit www.bncollege.com.
ABOUT GAMESQUARE HOLDINGS, INC.
GameSquare (NASDAQ:GAME) is a cutting-edge media, entertainment, and technology company transforming how brands and publishers connect with Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Millennial audiences. With a platform that spans award-winning creative services, advanced analytics, and FaZe Clan, one of the most iconic gaming organizations, we operate one of the largest gaming media networks in North America. Complementing our operating strategy, GameSquare operates a blockchain-native Ethereum treasury management program designed to generate onchain yield and enhance capital efficiency, reinforcing our commitment to building a dynamic, high-performing media company at the intersection of culture, technology, and next-generation financial innovation.
To learn more, visit www.gamesquare.com.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to: the Company's future performance, revenue, growth and profitability; and the Company's ability to execute on its business plans. These forward-looking statements are provided only to provide information currently available to us and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, assurance or definitive statement of fact or probability. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions which include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to grow its business and being able to execute on its business plans, the Company being able to complete and successfully integrate acquisitions, the Company being able to recognize and capitalize on opportunities and the Company continuing to attract qualified personnel to supports its development requirements. These assumptions, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to achieve its objectives, the Company successfully executing its growth strategy, the ability of the Company to obtain future financings or complete offerings on acceptable terms, failure to leverage the Company's portfolio across entertainment and media platforms, dependence on the Company's key personnel and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. These risk factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the Company which are discussed in the Company's most recent MD&A. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. GameSquare assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.
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