Activision Blizzard Acquires the Business of Major League Gaming
January 04 2016 - 5:00PM
Business Wire
MLG to Serve as the Foundation for Activision
Blizzard’s Esports Broadcast Network
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced the
acquisition of the business of Major League Gaming (MLG). MLG is 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.”
Sundance DiGiovanni, Chief Executive Officer and MLG Co-founder,
said, “Our mission for over 12 years has been to promote and expand
the growth of competitive gaming worldwide, and 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.”
Mike Sepso, Senior Vice President of Activision Blizzard Media
Networks and MLG Co-founder, said, “Sundance and I founded MLG to
highlight the incredible talent of competitive gamers all over the
world. Activision Blizzard’s esports leadership, incredible
intellectual property and long history in competitive gaming create
a perfect home for MLG’s capabilities. The acquisition of MLG’s
business is an important step towards Activision Blizzard Media
Networks’ broader mission to bring esports into the mainstream by
creating and broadcasting premium esports content, organizing
global league play and expanding distribution with key gaming
partners.”
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. MLG.tv is a premium
online broadcast network for professional-level esports and the MLG
Pro Circuit is the longest-running esports league in North America.
GameBattles is the largest online gaming tournament system across
consoles, PC and mobile platforms.
With over 100 million unique viewers, the esports audience is
estimated to be bigger than audiences for many professional sports
leagues. Creating premium content for these audiences will provide
significant opportunities in ticket sales, advertising,
sponsorships, licensing and merchandising. By 2017, esports is
projected to have over 300 million viewers1. For the past 12 years,
MLG has helped bring esports into the mainstream with broadcasts of
professional gaming competitions that rival traditional sports fan
engagement.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the
world's most successful standalone interactive entertainment
company. Activision Blizzard develops and publishes games based on
some of the most beloved entertainment franchises, including Call
of Duty®, Destiny, Skylanders®, Guitar Hero®, World of Warcraft®,
StarCraft®, Diablo®, and Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™. The
company is one of the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies To Work For®"
2015. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision
Blizzard has operations throughout the world, and its games are
played in 196 countries. More information about Activision Blizzard
and its products can be found on the company's website,
www.activisionblizzard.com.
1 Newzoo
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160104006485/en/
Activision Blizzard, Inc.Mary OsakoSVP, Global
Communications424-322-5166Mary.Osako@Activision.com
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