212 Contender eSports Gaming CenterFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center franchise requires a total initial investment of $196K – $406K, including a $39K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $196K – $406K
- 21st pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 17th pct Retail
- Units
- 14
- 9th pct Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $196K – $406K including a $39K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 58/100.
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Contender eSports, LLC
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 405 N Jefferson Avenue, Springfield, Missouri 65806
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.2M
- vs $1.4M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate 212 Contender branded gaming centers offering competitive eSports tournaments, casual gaming stations, and entertainment experiences. Daily operations include managing gaming hardware/software, hosting tournaments, customer service, event marketing, and facility maintenance across a typically 2,000-5,000 sq ft venue.
- CEO
- Brett Payne
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 12
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing · 13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $39K | $39K | |
| Construction, Network Installation, and Leasehold Improvements | $17K | $40K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $85K | $210K | |
| Signage | $3K | $5K | |
| Point of Sale System | $1K | $2K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $5K | $5K | |
| Initial Inventory | $5K | $11K | |
| Prepaid Rent and Lease Deposits | $12K | $26K | |
| Utility Deposits | $1K | $3K | |
| Insurance Deposits - Three Months | $2K | $4K | |
| Professional Fees | $5K | $15K | |
| Printing, Stationery and Office Supplies | $1K | $2K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $20K | $45K | |
| Total initial investment | $196K | $406K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $196K – $406K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $39K – $39K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $20 |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 14
- Opened
- 5
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +55.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +100.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 5
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 14
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 22.2%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage eSports gaming franchisor with undisclosed financials, going concern issues, and opaque royalty structure presents high risk despite modest unit growth from minimal baseline.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $39,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy,” is supplemented by the addition of the following: No entity or person listed in Items 1 and 2 of this Disclosure Document has, at any time during the previous 10 fiscal years (a) filed for bankruptcy protection, (b) been adjudged bankrupt, (c) been reorganized due to insolvency, or (d)
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests franchisor financial instability or legal/operational issues
- 03MINORMinimum Monthly Royalty Fee creates hidden cost burden on top of 6% royalty with unknown threshold
- 04MINOROnly 14 units system-wide with 55.6% YoY growth from extremely small base (grew ~5 units) — statistically volatile
- 05MEDHigh total investment range ($195k-$406k) relative to undisclosed profitability — risk/reward opaque
- 06MINOR10-year term locks franchisee into relationship with financially unstable franchisor
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 54 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 39 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
25 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
212 Contender eSports Gaming Center · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center franchise?
The total investment to open a 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center franchise ranges from $196K – $406K, with an initial franchise fee of $39K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center franchise owners earn?
212 Contender eSports Gaming Center does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center has 14 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 5 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates 212 Contender eSports Gaming Center as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 58 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.