Meltdown, the French esports bar franchise is set to expand into Portland, Montréal, Quebec, and Toronto in 2016. There is still no fixed date for these openings, but the Meltdown website couldn’t be clearer— each of those locations “will open soon.” From a small Parisian esports bar in 2012, Meltdown has quickly become a franchise that swarmed over Europe, soon America, and likely even further.

From an esport bar to an international franchise

When the first Meltdown opened in 2012, esports bars didn’t exist. Many bars had already begun hosting esports events, called “barcrafts,” but the idea of a permanent place for esports was still very new. But Sophia Metz, one of the Meltdown owners, along with Manolack Sana Nikone and Yann-Cédric Mainguy, had a clear vision. Even back then, they planned to open other esports bars in Berlin and London.

“We received a lot of requests for more Meltdown bars,” Sophia Metz explains, “but opening your own bar takes a lot of time.” With the goal to go further, Meltdown soon became a franchise. “With a franchise model, we could help other owners build their own Meltdown esports bar.”

Today, Meltdown spans 15 bars in 6 different countries (France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, and England). By the end of 2016, there should be 26. Among these are multiple locations in America. “We’ve had requests from the U.S. since the beginning,” says Sophia.

“As long as everything keeps going well, the objective is to be in every part of the world. We even received a request to be franchised in Korea,” continues Sophia. In order to keep developing, the franchise had to recruit. Meltdown is now looking to recruit even more and expand the services available in the franchise. Early this year, Meltdown started to look for investors in order to “raise a few million euros.”

The Meltdown strategy

The new Meltdown Montréal owners are no strangers to esports or barcrafts. One of them helped to organise the first barcrafts in Montréal. “There were up to 1200 people in one of Montréal’s barcrafts, but it would cost too much to organize [on a regular basis],” explains Pierre Violleau, one of the four future owners. “All the money was spent into booking the venue and the material. For example, a projector can cost up to $100,000,” details Pierre Violleau. In the end, it would cost too much. “Having our own bar will allow for a higher frequency of events for less expenses.”

Being part of a franchise isn’t only upside, though. First, you have to pay an “entrance fee” (the amount remains secret and depends on the bar). Then, you need to comply to the rules of the franchise about the identity of the bar, the cocktails you can sell, and the way you run your business. But according to Pierre Violleau, it is well worth the effort.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Being part of the Meltdown franchise also gives more visibility. It is a lot easier to find partnerships when you are part of a network. Meltdown has a huge community. It is a strength to be reckon with.”[/perfectpullquote]

Visibility is indeed key. The esports bar market has changed since the early days. Unlike in 2012, Meltdown Montréal will not be the only esports bar in town. In 2015, Montréal saw the Nexus Bar open its gate to the same kind of public.

The early years for esports’ “real-life” social meeting points already seem far away. Not only esports bars are getting more common, but even less expected alternatives like cinemas are organizing esports events. In this scenario, the battle for visibility will be fierce. But the Meltdown franchise’s strength, along with the incredible growth of esports in recent years, seems like the perfect combination for expansion.