14 DAY TRIAL // The Electronic Sports League, one of the biggest eSports-focused associations in the world, is announcing that it is severing all ties it had with Team YP, which is funded by adult site YouPorn, because of complications over its links with the pornographic industry.
Tension has existed between the two groups for a while, but it seems that the changes that the team has made, which include tweaks to its name and the way it is presented online, have not been enough to satisfy the ESL.
The eSports organization says that the advertising of pornography is not legal in most of the markets in which it operates, and its partners also have a clear policy that states "no drugs, no alcohol, no pornography" should be involved with the events they are part of.
ESL informs us, "We have spoken to Team YP manager earlier this year and in that conversation we've explained the situation and rules in detail, and offered to look for potential alternatives in a bigger group. At the same time, we're consulting with our legal teams about this. We will inform the team and the management as soon as we have any updates."
It's pretty clear that it is impossible for the YouPorn-sponsored team to be involved in the biggest eSports events of the moment if it does not make significant changes to its identity.
Team YP has been involved in competitions including Starcraft 2, Mortal Kombat X, Counter-Strike, Evolve and Street Fighter IV, but it has not made it to the biggest events organized by the ESL.
eSports continues to grow
Team YP has said, through manager Claire Fisher, that it is disappointed by the decision of the ESL and that it will have effects on its growth and the roster of players that it can attract.
The team also claims that the move to sever ties is unfair because the group has made a lot of changes to make sure that its public presence is safe for work.
eSports is big business at the moment, and it seems that the most influential partners that power the growth of the industry have very clear ideas about its future and the kind of products that can advertise via the involved teams.
But as more people become interested in watching competitive video game action, the ESL and other organizers might have to re-evaluate their principles to increase the advertising revenue and the variety of businesses that support the genre.