Sentences with phrase «own esports»

This isn't the first time Yahoo has shown interest in eSports.

Other media giants, like ESPN, for example, are also investing in eSports coverage, and tons of smaller publications and blogs have long been dedicated to the industry.

And Blizzard Entertainment has active eSports leagues around StarCraft 2, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and a growing World of Warcraft audience.

According to Newzoo, there are 226 million eSports fans around the globe today and that number will increase to 323 million by 2018.

On Wednesday, the Sunnyvale, Calif., company announced it's extending its Yahoo Sports vertical, arguably one of its most successful divisions at the moment, to covering eSports.

«For us, eSports is about engaging our community and fans, and helping to grow this area into a year - round competition.»

«Call of Duty and Halo will give a huge boost to the eSports audience, particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe,» Warman says.

This is also the beginning of a new exclusive partnership with Sony, which means all Call of Duty eSports will be played on PlayStation 4 consoles for the first time.

That's a big part of where eSports is going for us.»

Tencent also owns a piece of Activision Blizzard's growing eSports business.

Microsoft, which previously served as the lead sponsor of Call of Duty eSports, is now focusing on its own new Halo Championship Series.

«ESports is part of that engagement platform,» Cooper says.

Activision's investment in eSports comes at a time where PC games like Riot Games» League of Legends, Valve's Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm and StarCraft II dominate the scene.

Activision Publishing has the $ 3 million Call of Duty World League launching in 2016, an expansion of the publisher's five - year commitment to eSports.

Historically, Activision has worked with Major League Gaming (MLG) and other event vendors with Call of Duty eSports, but the publisher is now running its eSports internally.

To get going, Yahoo (YHOO) has already hired the first four members of its new eSports editorial team: Andrea Rene, Travis Gafford, Taylor Cocke, and Dylan Walker, all experienced video gaming reporters.

«We thought the time was right to take eSports to the next level.

If none of those names ring a bell, then the rapid ascension of esports has likely passed you by.

Would it benefit esports to make that leap to being more of a presence on traditional TV networks?

Ashland University is one of 66 U.S. schools that have joined the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

With esports, I wouldn't say it's entered the mainstream, but it is increasingly an option that marketers look to.

Maybe you have a music festival with Steve Aoki, who is an eSports investor.

This week Fortune caught up with Jarred Kennedy, the co-head of esports at Riot Games, to discuss the world championship (the finals will take place Nov. 4 at the Bird's Nest National Stadium in Beijing) as well as the overall growth of the esports industry and Riot's plans, much like rival Activision Blizzard, to remodel its own esports league after major professional sports leagues like the NFL and NBA.

Likening esports to traditional sports, he said: «It's great to go to a stadium, but it's even better sitting in that stadium next to 5 of your friends.»

«The increased direct viewership is a way we believe sports games will broaden the eSports audience, as it attracts a different group of gamers,» Warman says.

«We are taking a pragmatic approach to eSports so this is just one of the first steps, but down the road we can envision the opportunity for large - scale live spectator - filled events that not only highlight the game, but some of the NBA athletes that represent our brand alongside other pop and fashion icons,» Argent says.

The $ 3.8 billion eSports market has turned livestreaming and video watching into big business for companies like Amazon and Google.

«ESports is all about creating an even playing field where a player's skills determine the outcome versus their opponent, and we feel Pro Am in NBA 2K16 delivers that unlike any other sports simulation game,» Argent says.

Martin Klimscha, CEO and co-founder of Hitbox, believes 4K, the industry term used for extremely high - resolution displays, is the future of eSports and gaming.

Now startup Hitbox wants to bring 4K high resolution streaming to eSports.

Analysts agree that there's room in the booming eSports market for new companies to stake a claim, assuming they have an angle that gamers are interested in — like 4K.

The NBA is the latest sports league to jump into the growing eSports arena, following the NFL and FIFA through Electronic Arts» Madden NFL and FIFA video game franchises.

«We feel that eSports as a part of NBA 2K is a natural fit given the game's format and the desire from our community for competitive play.»

Klimscha has had many conversations with game makers, producers, and eSports developers, and the interest for 4K is there.

In an effort to elevate the wealth and standing of eSports, Overwatch League will adopt a similar structure as traditional professional sports leagues, including:

And there were the 2017 newcomers, like Uptake Technologies, which brings predictive data analytics to infrastructure and heavy equipment; Trulioo, an internet - age identity verification service; and Skillz, the first Disruptor from the hyper - growing world of esports.

Blizzard Entertainment, one half of giant gaming company Activision Blizzard, is creating an ambitious new eSports league for its «Overwatch» shooter game, The Verge reports.

But that's the premise of eSports, an industry that's growing rapidly and creating many opportunities for startups, especially those focused on in - game analytics, player data, and scouting.

Major players: Riot Games, which was Inc.'s company of the year in 2016, is one of the biggest names in eSports.

Skills needed: Entrepreneurs must have a strong understanding of international markets because China and Europe will make up 68 percent of the estimated total revenue for the eSports industry in 2018, according to SuperData Research, a market researcher in New York City.

Growth: SuperData Research forecasts the U.S. eSports industry to grow to $ 1.7 billion in 2020 from $ 1.1 billion in 2018.

The downside: eSports startups can't afford to blink when it comes to the popularity of games.

Look inside the eSports industry: This Founder Studied Fighter Pilots and Navy SEALs to Help Gamers Perform Better

The U.S. eSports audience also is expected to increase by 41 million between 2017 and 2018.

Nintendo's video of an eSports team playing with the Switch on the floor looks great, but it's a stretch; sitting in a chair with the Switch on a kitchen - height surface seems a more likely scenario.

Goetgeluk says Virtuix will explore how it can work with established eSports leagues like ESL, Major League Gaming, and ESWC.

«We feel that bringing eSports and VR gaming out of the chair and adding an active physical component creates an extra layer of excitement for both competitors and spectators.

An experiential marketing firm with in - house technology that focuses on the esports, gaming, technology, and entertainment sectors.

With virtual reality all the rage at CES this year, Virtuix is hosting the first - ever eSports tournament in VR.

To widen the eSports playing field, Skillz partnered with Beeline Interactive to bring the classic «Street Fighter» game to its platform.