South Korean company Bigpicture Interactive has announced the strategic sale of the intellectual property of its global esports brand WCG (World Cyber Games), marking a new chapter for one of competitive gaming’s most historically significant events.
The decision, confirmed on 15 January 2025, follows a broader portfolio restructuring and aims to identify a new owner capable of scaling the brand’s long-term value. The formal sale process will begin this month with the submission of Letters of Intent.
The sale process is open to a broad range of potential buyers, including global game publishers, esports organisations, cities and public institutions seeking to establish content or cultural hubs, and international media and platform companies. According to Bigpicture Interactive, proceeds from the transaction will be reinvested into its core businesses, including its gamer lifestyle platform WorldClass and the development of new intellectual properties.
To The Esports Radar, Bigpicture Interactive CEO Kwangjun Song, explained that the company “would like to seek for a partner who could develop this great global IP with the 20 year old legacy.”
Founded in 2000 by tech industry veteran Yoosup Oh, WCG is widely regarded as one of the foundational pillars of modern esports. Long described as the “Olympics of Esports,” the tournament pioneered a national-team-based competition format and, over two decades, brought together players from more than 110 countries. Throughout its history, WCG has been hosted in major global cities including Seoul, San Francisco, Singapore, Cologne, and Chengdu.
WCG was backed by Samsung Electronics until a hiatus from 2014 to 2018. The 2019 revival of the event was organised by South Korean publisher Smilegate Holdings, which had acquired the rights and trademarks for the WCG brand from Samsung in early 2017. This acquisition aimed to restore the tournament preceding Bigpicture Interactive’s later acquisition of the IP in 2022.
Bigpicture Interactive acquired the WCG brand in 2022 and subsequently repositioned it away from a traditional tournament model. Under its ownership, WCG was reintroduced as a creator-centric global gaming festival, combining competitive play with influencer-driven content and live fan experiences. Events were staged in Busan in 2023 and Jakarta in 2024, with the most recent edition, WCG 2025, returning to Jakarta in December and reportedly attracting more than 100,000 onsite attendees according to organisers.
Commenting on the brand’s evolution, the CEO Kwangjun Song said: “Over the past three years, WCG has evolved beyond a traditional esports tournament into a unique global cultural platform connecting gamers and creators around the world.”
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