Next Level Entertainment: The Convergence of Esports, Sports & Digital Assets

Short Company Introduction:

With offices in Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Mannheim, Melchers is one of Germany’s leading law firms in gambling, gaming, and esports law. Our team combines deep industry insight with legal excellence to support international clients navigating complex regulatory landscapes, innovative business models, and the digital entertainment economy.

Objective:

• Understanding how entertainment as a whole is changing
• Understanding the value of virtual assets to the Unreachables
• Understanding the role that digitization and platform economy play in this context (and what happens to stakeholders who fail to embrace it)
• Understanding who can benefit from these developments and how

Content of the Session: This workshop explores the dynamic convergence of esports, sports, and digital assets.

• Update on the latest developments in esports, sports and content creation, from the second edition of the Esports World Cup to the Olympic Esports Games announced for 2027
• In a world of virtual and augmented reality: What is esports and what is sport – and who can profit from them economically?
• NFTs, in-game skins, and digital collectibles – and how these are changing business and society as a whole
• Outlook on how companies can leverage these trends for marketing, employer branding, and internal engagement

Workshop Host: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nepomuk Nothelfer

Mr. Nothelfer is a lawyer at Melchers and head of the working group gaming in the Di4. He advises a wide range of clients in the fields of esports, gaming, sports, content creation, gambling, and emerging tech. As co-founder of the Research Center for Esports Law and the Esports Research Network, he has been a pioneer in the scientific analysis of esports for years. He lectures i.a. at the International University of Monaco, the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economia (Madrid and Barcelona), and the University of Vienna. In 2025, he was appointed associate professor at the University of Agder. In addition, he is regularly consulted as an expert by federations and politics.