14 DAY TRIAL // After a day of rumor and speculation, executives at Activision Blizzard are ready to officially announce that they have acquired Major League Gaming, described as a leader in the domain of professional video game competitions, league and team development and streaming premium live events.
The company also confirms that Mike Sepso, the former MLG co-founder, and Steve Bornstein, the former chief executive officer of ESPN, are the two executives in charge of the future of eSports for the publisher.
Bobby Kotick, the chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard, is quoted as saying that, "Our acquisition of Major League Gaming’s business furthers our plans to create the ESPN of esports. MLG’s ability to create premium content and its proven broadcast technology platform – including its live streaming capabilities – strengthens our strategic position in competitive gaming."
The executive also praises the community created around Major League Gaming and says that both the professional gamers involved and the audience will be able to soon see the results of the acquisition.
Activision Blizzard says that it wants to make eSports a mainstream form of entertainment that will reach a higher number of players and will offer a wider variety of events that are designed to celebrate various types of video games and the communities built around them.
The official announcement also mentions key gaming partners, a global league and premium content initiatives that will be officially revealed in the coming months, all designed to target the more than 100 million unique viewers currently engaged with the hobby.
Activision Blizzard believes that the community created around eSports will grow to more than 300 million before the end of 2017 and wants to capture as big a slice of the audience as possible by then.
Major League Gaming had financial problems before it was acquired and the video game publisher will take them over, which means former MLG shareholders will make a limited profit.
Major League Gaming plans to operate normally for the foreseeable future
The transaction is not currently set to affect the operation of the MLG.tv service, the Major League Gaming Pro Circuit or the GameBattles platforms in the coming months.
Presumably, after a while, Activision Blizzard will become more active in the eSports field, creating its set of events and a new type of broadcast structure that will draw in a bigger audience.
The publisher has a range of titles in its portfolio, ranging from Starcraft 2 to Heroes of the Storm, Call of Duty and Hearthstone, which are very well suited to competitive play and can attract a wide range of players if they are properly managed.
Activision Blizzard also has the financial resources required to deliver big prize pools for its events, which are a requirement at the moment if the company wants to attract the most capable players associated with each title.
The eSports field has a lot of potential for growth and the new Activision Blizzard initiative will have to deliver better events and streaming options to gain a solid foothold.