Former CEO of ESPN Steve Bornstein and MLG Co-Founder Mike Sepso to Lead Activision Blizzard’s New Division Devoted to Espo...
October 22 2015 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced a new
division that will build on the Company’s competitive gaming
leadership by creating all-new ways to deliver the best-in-class
fan experience across games, platforms and geographies, furthering
the development of its world-leading esports ecosystem. Former CEO
of ESPN and the NFL Network Steve Bornstein will serve as the
division’s Chairman and Mike Sepso, who was most recently a
co-founder and president of Major League Gaming (MLG), will serve
as its Senior Vice President.
“Celebrating our players and their unique skill, dedication and
commitment is the essence of our esports initiatives,” said Bobby
Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. “Blizzard
Entertainment and Activision Publishing have been leaders in the
development of esports. With that leadership, our strong
franchises, our deep history and experience in esports, and now two
additional industry leaders, we intend to further enhance our
efforts and make certain this remains an important growth driver
for Activision Blizzard.”
Kotick added, “There are no better leaders for this new
initiative than Steve and Mike. Steve has unparalleled experience
in creating a sports network powerhouse and his groundbreaking
leadership at ESPN and the NFL Network shaped how the whole world
experiences sports. Mike’s entrepreneurial vision helped make
‘esports’ a household word and he is uniquely positioned to take
the experience to the next level.”
“Last year, Activision Blizzard created entertainment that was
viewed and played by over 150 million people for more than 13
billion hours,” said Steve Bornstein, Chairman of the new division
and former CEO of ESPN and the NFL Network. “I believe esports will
rival the biggest traditional sports leagues in terms of future
opportunities, and between advertising, ticket sales, licensing,
sponsorships and merchandising, there are tremendous growth areas
for this nascent industry. I’m excited to help Activision Blizzard
further its leadership position in esports.”
“As a member of the esports community for over 12 years, I
couldn’t be more excited for the future of the sport. I am
confident that the company’s industry-leading content will capture
the many opportunities we have to entertain and celebrate our
players,” said Mike Sepso, Senior Vice President for Activision
Blizzard. “Activision Blizzard is uniquely positioned to give
millions of fans around the world what they want, and I’m excited
to help support this community in a way that honors its
history.”
Activision Blizzard has a rich history in esports:
- Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft® was
the early pioneer in large-scale mainstream, televised esports,
since the 1990s.
- Blizzard Entertainment has many of the
world’s biggest and most beloved esports competitions. This year’s
BlizzCon® event will take place November 6-7 in Anaheim, Calif. and
will feature the global finals for StarCraft® II, World of
Warcraft®, Heroes of the Storm™ and Hearthstone®. Players have been
competing for more than $4 million in prizes across Road to
BlizzCon tournaments.
- Earlier this year, Blizzard
Entertainment launched Heroes of the Dorm™, the first collegiate
esports event to be televised on ESPN2. More than 6,000 collegiate
players, representing 460-plus schools, competed in the tournament
with the winning team from UC Berkeley securing the grand prize of
fully-paid tuition for each of its members.
- Activision Publishing hosts the annual
Call of Duty Championship. Call of Duty® is the top console esports
franchise in the world.
- On September 24, 2015, Activision
Publishing announced the creation of the Call of Duty® World
League, which provides a $3 million prize pool to professional and
amateur players.
- Since its launch, Destiny has become
the most watched console game on Twitch.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the
world’s most successful video game company. We develop and publish
some of the most successful and beloved entertainment franchises in
any medium, including Call of Duty®, Destiny®, Skylanders®, Guitar
Hero®, World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®, Diablo®, Hearthstone®:
Heroes of Warcraft™, and Heroes of the Storm™. The company is one
of the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies To Work For®” 2015.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, we maintain operations
throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Activision Blizzard
develops and publishes games on all leading interactive platforms
and its games are available in most countries around the world.
More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be
found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151022005547/en/
Activision Blizzard, Inc.Elizabeth Ashford, 424-272-3015Senior
Director, Global CommunicationsElizabeth.Ashford@Activision.com
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