14 DAY TRIAL // The teams at the ESL and platform creator Microsoft are announcing that they are planning to introduce full tournament systems integration for the Xbox One, which will make it easier for developers and publishers to organize competitions for their communities on the home console.
All the competitions will run on Xbox Live, and that means they can be customized for both the Xbox One and the Windows 10-powered PCs, with each studio able to state its own rules and special requests.
At the moment, neither ESL not Microsoft are naming the video games that are planning to take advantage of the new feature, although they are apparently in development.
Arne Peters, vice president of strategic relations and ESL technology, is quoted in the official announcement as explaining, "ESL platform integration is a big step forward in establishing competitive gaming and eSports. We are very happy to be working with Microsoft on projects such and these and are excited to see them embrace the significance of eSports and its phenomenal growth."
Microsoft is seeking to secure a piece of the rising eSports market, which is at the moment also drawing interest from Sony, Electronic Arts and Activision, all of which have their own specialized divisions.
The Xbox One needs competitive advantages to grow
Microsoft has not been offering any updates on the number of new generation home consoles it has managed to sell, but estimates are around the 20 million unit mark, which is significantly lower than the official number of 36 million that Sony has quoted recently for the PlayStation 4.
This means that the company needs to work on as many new ideas that can boost sales during 2016 as possible and eSports is a very good bet given how many gamers are interested in at least watching competitive action if not in actually taking part.,
The Xbox One is also due to get monthly firmware updates that will improve its core features and will boost the integration with Windows 10-powered PCs.
Microsoft has also said that it does not have plans to introduce another price cut but that it will build bundles that will feature the biggest titles of the year, including Gears of War 4.
The third-person shooter created by The Coalition is expected to arrive before the end of 2016, and a beta will start running on April 18, although its exact content has not yet been revealed.