5. BRAC's IPO, Consolidation of BRAC and Non-controlling Interest |
12 Months Ended | ||||||
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Dec. 31, 2020 | |||||||
| Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract] | |||||||
| BRAC's IPO, Consolidation of BRAC and Non-controlling Interest | Note 5 – BRAC’s IPO, Consolidation of BRAC and Non-controlling Interest
BRAC’s IPO
The registration statement for the BRAC’s IPO was declared effective on October 4, 2017. The registration statement was initially declared effective for 10,000,000 units (“Units” and, with respect to the common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), but the offering was increased to 12,000,000 Units pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. On October 10, 2017, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 12,000,000 units, generating gross proceeds of $120,000,000.
Simultaneous with the closing of the IPO, BRAC sold 400,000 units (the “Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Unit in a private placement to BROG, generating gross proceeds of $4,000,000. BROG’s investment in BRAC’s common stock was eliminated in consolidation prior to the BRAC’s merger on August 9, 2019.
Transaction costs relating to the IPO amounted to $2,882,226, consisting of $2,400,000 of underwriting fees and $482,226 of other costs.
Following the closing of the IPO on October 10, 2017, an amount of $120,600,000 ($10.05 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the Placement Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by BRAC meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by BRAC, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.
On October 18, 2017, in connection with the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, BRAC sold an additional 1,800,000 Units and sold an additional 45,000 Placement Units to BROG at $10.00 per Unit, generating total proceeds of $18,450,000. Transaction costs for underwriting fees on the sale of the over-allotment units were $360,000. Following the closing, an additional $18,090,000 of the net proceeds ($10.05 per Unit) was placed in the Trust Account, bringing the total aggregate proceeds held in the Trust Account to $138,690,000 ($10.05 per Unit). BROG’s investment in BRAC’s common stock was eliminated in consolidation prior to the BRAC’s merger on August 9, 2019.
Upon the closing of the IPO, $10.05 per Unit sold in the IPO, including some of the proceeds of the Private Placements was deposited in a trust account (“Trust Account”) to be held until the earlier of (i) the consummation of its initial Business Combination or (ii) BRAC’s failure to consummate a Business Combination within 21 months from the consummation of the IPO (the “Combination Period”).
The Extension Meeting
On July 9, 2019, BRAC held a special meeting of its stockholders (the “Meeting”). At the Meeting, BRAC’s stockholders considered a proposal to adopt and approve an amendment to BRAC’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Charter”) to extend the date that BRAC had to consummate a business combination (the “Extension”) to August 10, 2019. The amendment was approved by the stockholders and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on July 9, 2019.
In connection with this vote, the holders of 9,246,727 shares of BRAC’s common stock properly exercised their right to convert their shares into cash at a conversion price of approximately $10.29 per share resulting in $95,125,574 in Trust Account assets being distributed back to shareholders. In connection with the Extension, BROG loaned $30,000 to BRAC to be placed in the Trust Account for the benefit of the public shares that were not converted. The loan was non-interest bearing and evidenced by a promissory note issued by BRAC on the same date. The loan was repaid on August 12, 2019.
Business Combination Agreement
On December 19, 2018, BRAC entered into the Business Combination Agreement with Merger Sub, Allied Esports, Ourgame, Noble and Primo. The Business Combination Agreement was amended on August 5, 2019 and the Business Combination Agreement as amended is referred to as the Amended Business Combination Agreement. The merger closed on August 9, 2019 (the “Closing Date”).
Subject to the Amended Business Combination Agreement, (i) Noble merged with and into Allied Esports (the “Redomestication Merger”) with Allied Esports being the surviving entity in such merger and (ii) immediately after the Redomestication Merger, Merger Sub merged with into Allied Esports with Allied Esports being the surviving entity of such merger (the “Transaction Merger” and together with the Redomestication Merger, the “Mergers”).
The Mergers resulted in BRAC acquiring two of Ourgame’s global esports and entertainment assets, Allied Esports and WPT. Allied Esports is a premier esports entertainment company with a global network of dedicated esports properties and content production facilities. WPT is the creator of the World Poker Tour® (WPT®) – the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. The transactions strategically combined the globally recognized Allied Esports brand with the three-pronged business model of the iconic World Poker Tour, featuring in-person experiences, multiplatform content and interactive services, to leverage the high-growth opportunities in the global esports industry.
The Business Combination Agreement, which original called for a debt repayment to Ourgame of $35,000,000 was amended to call for BRAC to (i) assume $10,000,000 of the debt obligations of Ourgame and Noble (including an additional $1,200,000 of accrued interest) and (ii) repay Ourgame the remaining balance of $23,800,000 by paying $3,500,000 in cash to Ourgame and its designees, issuing to Ourgame and its designees 2,928,679 shares of BRAC’s common stock and Ourgame retaining $1,000,000 of the proceeds of such loans to pay its transaction expenses incurred in the Merger. In connection with entering into the Amendment, BROG, as BRAC’s founder, agreed to transfer an aggregate of 600,000 shares of BRAC’s common stock held by it to Ourgame.
Additionally, In July and August 2019, BRAC and BROG entered into several share purchase agreements (the “Purchase Agreements”) with several parties (collectively referred to as the “Purchasers”). Pursuant to the Purchase Agreements, the Purchasers agreed to purchase an aggregate of $18,000,000 of shares of BRAC’s common stock in open market or privately negotiated transactions. If the Purchasers were unable to purchase the full $18,000,000 of shares of common stock in open market or privately negotiated transactions, BRAC will issue to the Purchasers newly issued shares at the Closing at a per-share price equal to the per-share amount held in BRAC’s trust account ($10.30 per share), and having an aggregate value equal to the difference between $18,000,000 and the dollar amount of shares purchased by them in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. At the Closing, BRAC agreed to issue to the Purchasers 1.5 shares of common stock for every 10 shares purchased by them under the Purchase Agreements. Additionally, BROG agreed to transfer an aggregate of 720,000 shares held by it of BRAC common stock to the Purchasers. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreements, BRAC is required to file a registration statement with the SEC as promptly as practicable following the closing of the merger to register the resale of any securities purchased by the Purchasers that are not already registered and cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as possible. The Purchasers included a $3 million investment from Lyle Berman, a member of the board of directors of both BRAC and BROG and the largest shareholder of BROG. Additionally, $5 million will be held in an escrow account and its usage will be limited to specific capital projects.
Consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Amended Business Combination Agreement was subject to certain closing conditions including, among others, (i) approval by the stockholders of BRAC, and (ii) that BRAC have available cash in an amount not less than $22,000,000 after payment to stockholders who elect to redeem their shares of common stock in accordance with the provisions of BRAC’s charter documents. This second condition was waived by Ourgame prior to the close.
Consolidation of BRAC and Non-controlling Interest
The Company determined that BRAC, following its IPO, was a VIE and that the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The Company determined that, due to the redemption feature associated with the IPO shares, that the IPO shareholders are indirectly protected from the operating expenses of BRAC and BROG had the power to direct the activities of BRAC through the date at which BRAC affords the stockholders the opportunity to vote to approve a proposed business combination. Therefore, the consolidated financial statements contain the operations of the BRAC from its inception on May 9, 2017 through the date of the merger, when BRAC was determined to no longer be a VIE. BRAC’s IPO shareholders are reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements as a redeemable non-controlling interest prior to the merger. The non-controlling interest was recorded at fair value on October 10, 2017, with an addition on October 18, 2017 as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option. During the period in which BRAC was consolidated, the net earnings attributable to the IPO shareholders are subtracted from the net gain (loss) for any period to arrive at the net loss attributable to the Company and the non-controlling interest on the balance sheet is adjusted to include the net earnings attributable to the IPO shareholders.
Deconsolidation of BRAC
Additionally, US GAAP (ASC 810-10-40) provides guidance on “Derecognition” of a previously consolidated entity or entities. Under this guidance, the Company shall account for the deconsolidation of a subsidiary or derecognition of a group of assets specified in ASC 810-10-40-3A by recognizing a gain or loss in net income attributable to the parent, measured as the difference between the combination of:
a) The fair value of:
b) The carrying amount of the former subsidiaries assets and liabilities or the carrying amount of the group of assets.
With the above guidance the Company determined that the effect of the deconsolidation of BRAC produced a non-cash adjustment, resulting in a gain of $20,448,687.
Intercompany Transactions and Eliminations
BROG was paid a management fee by AESE of $10,000 per month as part of an administrative services agreement, which commenced October 5, 2017 and ended on the date of the merger, for general and administrative services including the cost of office space and personnel dedicated to AESE. BROG was also reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses, particularly travel, incurred in connection with activities on AESE’s behalf, including but not limited to identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. AESE paid a total of $72,903 to BROG for such services in 2019, prior to the merger and while AESE remained a VIE and was consolidated and included in our loss on discontinued operations. The management services income of BROG and the management services expense of AESE as well as any balances due between the companies for such services or reimbursements were eliminated in consolidation. Management fees earned by BROG of $466,595 subject to the management services agreement between AESE and BROG in effect subsequent to the merger were not eliminated. |