Activision Blizzard announced today that the company has acquired the business of Major League Gaming, a leader in creating and streaming premium live gaming events, organizing professional competitions and running competitive gaming leagues.
The acquisition expands Activision Blizzard’s reach across the rapidly-growing esports ecosystem by adding proven live streaming capabilities and technologies to the Activision Blizzard Media Networks division, led by former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein and MLG Co-founder Mike Sepso.
Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard, said, “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. MLG has an incredibly strong and seasoned team and a thriving community. Together, we will create new ways to celebrate players and their unique skills, dedication and commitment to gaming. We are excited to add Sundance and the entire MLG esports team to our competitive gaming initiatives.”
“Our mission for over 12 years has been to promote and expand the growth of competitive gaming worldwide,” said Sundance DiGiovanni, Chief Executive Officer and MLG Co-founder, “Today the industry is at a key inflection point as its popularity soars and rivals that of many traditional professional sports. This acquisition and Activision Blizzard’s commitment to competitive gaming will expand the opportunities for gamers to be recognized and celebrated for their competitive excellence.”
MLG will continue to operate MLG.tv, MLG Pro Circuit and GameBattles platforms, and will continue to work with its partners and other publishers across the industry.
With over 100 million unique viewers, the esports audience is estimated to be bigger than audiences for many professional sports leagues. By 2017, esports is projected to have over 300 million viewers.
