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The Game Awards will stream on more than 40 platforms next month
The end of the year is fast approaching, which means awards season is getting into full swing. The Game Awards takes place December 6th at 9PM ET at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and this year, it will stream live on more than 40 video platforms.
Evil Geniuses win 'record-setting' Call of Duty World League tourney
If you needed evidence that Call of Duty is still a big deal in the esports realm, you just got it. Well-known team Evil Geniuses just took home $600,000 as the winners of the 2018 Call of Duty World League Championship, solidly taking down Team Kaliber in a variety of COD: WWII game modes. The win caps off a "record-setting" season where a hefty $4.2 million in prize money was up for grabs (the largest ever in the League), $1.5 million of it in the Championship alone.
Microsoft announces 'Gears of War 4' eSports Pro Circuit
When it comes to Xbox-exclusive multiplayer games, Gears of War is second only to Halo -- and Microsoft is leaning on that popularity for its next big tournament: the Gears eSports Pro Circuit. This ten-month, international gaming circuit kicks off with the launch of Gears of War 4, and will dole out a million dollars in prize money at eight live regional matches. The best part? The tournament is open to professional and amateur players alike -- all you need to qualify is a copy of the game and your own natural talent.
'Forza Motorsport 6' gets eSports tourneys anyone can join
If you're the sort to regularly set lap records in Forza Motorsport 6, you're about to have your moment in the sun. Making good on its bet on eSports, Microsoft has announced two Forza-based eSports tournaments for late March that give any would-be Lewis Hamilton a chance at winning real prizes. The first, the Race Off Pro Series, will have you vying for Formula E glory starting on March 24th. If you place well enough in time trials and full-on races, you'll win a trip to London to compete in a championship with cash prizes.
It's official: Activision buys legendary eSports company MLG
Mike Sepso co-founded the eSports organization Major League Gaming in 2002. In October 2015, he left MLG to work for Activision Blizzard -- the studio behind Destiny, Call of Duty and Hearthstone -- as Senior Vice President of its new competitive-gaming business led by former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein. In the division's first major move, Activision today announced its purchase of MLG's eSports staff and assets in a deal reported to be worth $46 million. Sepso just helped Activision acquire the business he founded 13 years ago.Did he ever dream of ending up in a situation like this?"No one could have put that together," Sepso tells me, laughing. "And if you'd asked me four months ago, I would have said no."
Report: Activision buys eSports staple MLG for $46 million
Call of Duty and Hearthstone studio Activision Blizzard has acquired a majority of Major League Gaming's assets in a $46 million deal that essentially dissolves the professional gaming organization, eSports Observer reports. MLG Co-Founder and CEO Sundance DiGiovanni has left his role and is replaced by former CFO Greg Chisholm, the site says. Neither company has confirmed this report, though we've reached out to both and will update as we hear back.
Major League Gaming finals head to New Orleans in October
The Major League Gaming World Finals, featuring championships for Dota 2 and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, will be held in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from October 16th to the 18th. The 2015 MLG Finals boast a prize pool of more than $500,000, and it will be the organization's 100th live event (that's some nice timing). MLG, founded in 2002, is the longest-running eSports organization in existence and it's awarded more than $13.5 million in prize money across a range of games over the years. A General Admission pass for all three days of the Finals runs $50, or snag a Dota 2 or Advanced Warfare VIP pass for $200 each. Pro gaming fans, purchase tickets in the MLG store.
Engadget Daily: Handling the Blackberry Passport, discovering the world of Findery and more!
What's the deal with Blackberry's new square-shaped phone? Brad Molen took it for a spin and, as it turns out, the Passport's not as awkward as it seems. That's not all we have on deck, though -- read on for the rest of Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
The US gets its first professional gaming arena
Competitive gaming is practically an institution in countries like South Korea, but it hasn't really had a permanent home in the US. That's going to change pretty shortly, though; Major League Gaming has revealed that it's opening its first dedicated eSports location, MLG.tv Arena, in Columbus, Ohio. That may sound like an odd place to set up shop, but it makes sense for the league's audience. Columbus has a track record of hosting successful MLG events, and it's within range of "hundreds of thousands" of students -- there should be no shortage of competitors or spectators. The arena will no doubt pale in comparison to the giant stadiums of conventional sports, but it's proof that pro gaming is sticking around for a while.
PewDiePie joins MLG.tv with exclusive BroKen streams
PewDiePie, the internet's most famous YouTuber (this sentence wouldn't have made sense 10 years ago), has signed a deal to bring episodes of his "BroKen" podcast to launch exclusively on MLG.tv, with the premiere stream tonight. "BroKen" stars PewDiePie – normal name Felix Kjellberg – and fellow streamer CinnamonToastKen. "Our vision for MLG.tv is to make it the home for premium content and producers like PewDiePie and his show 'BroKen,'" MLG VP of Programming Ryan Wyatt said. "This type of programming deal with PewDiePie, one of the biggest stars in digital media, is a great example of the premier talent we have joining the growing MLG.tv line-up." PewDiePie brings in $4 million a year in ad revenue, The Wall Street Journal reported in June. Earlier in September, PewDiePie announced that he would permanently disable all comments on his YouTube videos, forever and always.
Pro gamers to compete for X Games medals in Call of Duty: Ghosts
For the first time in the history ESPN's X Games, pro gamers will compete for medals playing Call of Duty: Ghosts in Austin this June. Major League Gaming (MLG) has partnered with the sports broadcaster for the MLG X Games Invitational where the same hardware will be up for grabs as those athletes competing in skateboard, BMX, Moto X and other extreme sporting events. The top five teams based on MLG Pro Points rankings will get an invite, and three more teams from the recent COD Championship will round out the field. Upon arriving in Austin, groups will compete in a three-day tournament on Xbox One to determine the winner. What's more, the gaming event is said to be part of X Games TV coverage that's set for ESPN and ABC. [Image credit: Washington Post/Getty Images]
MLG to build first eSports arena in China
Major League Gaming has announced plans to construct additional pylons a 15,000-seat stadium dedicated to hosting eSports on China's Hengpin Island. The MLG Gaming Arena will contribute to a video game-themed destination called the V-Zone, due to open in 2017. The V-Zone will be part of Lai Fung Holdings Ltd's greater attraction known as the Creative Culture City, worth 18 billion Renminbi ($2.8 billion). As for incentives to break ground in China, MLG's announcement cites reports that claim China is the second-largest general gaming audience in the world, as well as home to the largest online user base. Hengpin Island is also part of the Pearl River Delta, home to 64 million people and just 30 minutes from Hong Kong, so it seems pretty plausible that the arena will fill up for events. Aside from the MLG Gaming Arena, the V-Zone will also feature workspaces, gaming-themed restaurants, retail shops and an expo area for developers to show projects. No word yet on possible plans to build a secondary outdoor arena in Beijing, which could immerse competitors in game-like challenges like seeing through the city's fog of war. [Image: MLG]
MLG taps former Machinima exec Ryan Wyatt for VP of programming
Ryan "Fwiz" Wyatt has returned to Major League Gaming after serving as Machinima's head of live and eSports content for three years, GamesIndustry International reports. Wyatt will serve as VP of programming, meaning he'll be responsible for premium content on MLG.tv. During his previous run with MLG, Wyatt worked as a referee and head of online tournaments for GameBattles. Call of Duty fans may best know Wyatt from his work on Friday Night Fights, a video series focused on competitive play made available to Call of Duty Elite members. Chris Puckett, MLG's previous VP of programming, will become executive producer on eSports Report. He will also lead the production of MLG Pro Circuit competition broadcasts. [Image: Major League Gaming]
MLB.tv and Epix streaming apps are coming to Xbox One
Xbox One owners already have their fair share of video services to choose from in the US, but they're about to get a pair of welcome additions. Major League Baseball now says that MLB.tv Premium should be available to stream live games on the console in time for opening day. Meanwhile, Epix has revealed plans to bring its primarily movie-focused service to the Xbox One in the near future. And don't worry about being left out if you're still hanging on to your Xbox 360 -- Starz has just launched Encore Play and Movieplex Play apps for the earlier system, while Major League Gaming released its e-sports app yesterday. All told, it looks like you'll have plenty of viewing options this spring.
New Xbox One, Xbox 360 entertainment apps debut this week
Microsoft has rolled out a slate of new entertainment apps on Xbox Live, giving Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners access to a broader variety of sports, competitive gaming, and film offerings. Starting this week, Xbox Live Gold members can keep up with live-broadcast tournaments and other competitive gaming events via the Xbox 360's Major League Gaming app. Major League Gaming launched its own dedicated e-sports network last year, serving up competitive gaming streams at up to 1080p resolution. Xbox 360 owners can access new film catalogs via the Encore Play and Movieplex Play apps starting this week, while MLB.TV Premium will deliver live games and league archives to subscribers on the Xbox One. Microsoft notes that its Encore Play, Movieplex Play, and EPIX apps are also scheduled to hit the Xbox One in the coming months. [Image: Microsoft / MLG]
Bridging the gap between casual and pro at the Chicago Dota 2 Winter Open
At Ignite Gaming Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, the crowd is losing its mind. It's grand finals of the Chicago Dota 2 Winter Open, a two-day, double-elimination, 16-team throwdown, and for some reason someone has just picked Meepo. For those of you who aren't in the Dota 2 loop, suffice to say that Meepo isn't a standard hero pick for a tournament. Picking Meepo in a match with $1,000 on the line is a lot like jumping out of a plane and wishing for a parachute -- an incredible, amazing story if it works and an embarrassing, painful death if it doesn't, with the odds heavily on the latter. The announcers, broadcasting the match simultaneously on Dota TV (Dota 2's in-game spectating client) and Twitch, are dumbfounded. The chat channels are exploding. And as everyone witnesses the Meepo gamble pay off in the most incredible way, the excitement only expands and intensifies. But perhaps what's most special about this Meepo pick, about this final game between two local teams that have bested challenger after challenger, is not the risky strategy or the money on the line. What's special is that anyone is watching it at all.
Hit List Q&A: Major League Gaming CEO, Sundance DiGiovanni
In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Sundance DiGiovanni, CEO of Major League Gaming. Sundance DiGiovanni, Co-Founder and CEO of Major League Gaming, is a seasoned executive, recognized thought leader in video game culture, and veteran creative director with more than 18 years of experience in the media, technology and video game industries. Sundance focuses on the global growth of competitive video gaming, expansion of MLG as a digital media property, and the its distribution platform MLG.tv that is bringing this burgeoning sport to an ever-growing community worldwide. The company operates MLG.tv, the #1 online broadcast network for professional level competitive gaming; the MLG Pro Circuit, the longest-running eSports league in North America; and MLG: Play, the largest cross platform online gaming tournament system with 8 million registered users across the globe. At the upcoming 2014 D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, Sundance will discuss the growth and evolution of eSports, the similarities with traditional sport, how eSports has become the go-to sport for many, and how free to play games are impacting the eSports space. He will also discuss the future of the eSports landscape and how new consoles, new games and a wider global audience will catapult eSports into the mainstream in the next 5 to 10 years.
Major League Gaming launches 1080p online e-sports network
After trying to grab a foothold on cable television, Major League Gaming has opted to do its own broadcasting via a new online venture dubbed "MLG.TV." Like Twitch and UStream, MLG.TV will broadcast video game footage, only unlike those services the streams are exclusively populated by competive gamers trying to win sizable cash prizes. Also unlike its competitors, MLG.TV will offer streams at up to 1080p resolution and a chat client based on Twitter, obviating the need for a MLG.TV account simply to join a conversation. "Based on years of research and first-hand experience with other streaming solutions, we built a platform from the ground up to deliver the viewing experiences that we and our partners create," stated Major League Gaming CEO Sundance DiGiovanni in today's press release. "The MLG.TV network and video player are architected to deliver the highest quality viewing experience possible, utilizing the most reliable streaming technology available." MLG.TV is available now at Major League Gaming's official website. If the 1080p resolution feature takes a while to load, don't worry, MLG representatives say that this is a common issue for many Internet users. Just wait a bit and assuming you have enough bandwidth, the video player will eventually find the proper resolution.
Major League Gaming launches MLG.TV online network to stream e-sports in high definition
Major League Gaming's been tinkering with better ways to show and monetize its Call of Duty and Starcraft battles for years, occasionally showing up on ESPN and utilizing myriad online streaming solutions to get its premium content to the people. However, MLG decided that YouTube and its ilk aren't enough, and so has launched its very own online network, MLG.TV, to better cater to e-sports fans (and pull in bigger ad dollars, of course). TechCrunch reports that this new platform, aside from streaming up to 1080p video, will also have social sharing capabilities and Twitter-based chat. While exclusively an online portal, MLG.TV is borrowing some ideas from broadcast television. It'll have weekly shows (like the recently debuted SportsCenter-esqe eSports Report) at specific times, and the plan is to build out a TV-like programming schedule as new shows are created.
PAX Prime 2013: Guild Wars 2's Jon Peters on the state of PvP
At this year's PAX Prime, we attended a party hosted by ArenaNet at which the studio demoed the second world of Super Adventure Box. There was a raffle, plenty of drinks, and a lot of ANet people. In fact, I mentioned to ArenaNet's reps that I was really into competitive play, PvP, and e-sports. Not five minutes later, I was introduced to Jon Peters, lead gameplay designer for Guild Wars 2. I was a bit intimidated; I mean, this was the guy who singlehandedly created over 70% of the skills in GW2! But he was surprisingly down-to-earth with our conversation.
