HP, Intel Sign on for Multiyear Sponsorship of the Overwatch League™
November 02 2017 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
First sponsorship deals for groundbreaking
competitive league will drive investment across entire Overwatch®
esports ecosystem
Tech leaders HP Inc. and Intel today joined forces with Blizzard
Entertainment in major Overwatch League™ sponsorship deals that
represent an extended investment in the groundbreaking professional
league. As part of the multiyear agreements, Intel will sponsor
future Overwatch® competitive events in addition to the Overwatch
League.
Players taking part in these events will be equipped with
cutting-edge gaming hardware from both HP and Intel. HP, and more
specifically, its OMEN by HP gaming PCs and displays will be used
exclusively for Overwatch League games, with PCs powered by Intel®
Core™ i7 processors.
“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with HP and Intel to ensure
that the teams competing professionally in Overwatch are equipped
with top-end technology,” said Pete Vlastelica, president & CEO
of Blizzard Entertainment’s Major League Gaming division.
“Multiyear collaborations such as this illustrate the momentum
behind the Overwatch League as well as a long-term commitment by us
and our partners in what we see as the future of esports.”
“Working with Blizzard Entertainment as a global technology
partner of the Overwatch League is the perfect way to celebrate
esports talent and showcase our hardware within the competitive
gaming arena,” said Alex Craddock, global head of marketing,
personal systems at HP Inc. “OMEN hardware has been widely adopted
by many of the world’s top esports professionals, and we’re
thrilled to help power the gameplay for the Overwatch League.”
“For more than 12 years Intel has consistently supported the
esports community and we’re always looking for ways to help improve
how they play, watch, and compete. We’re proud to sponsor the
Overwatch League and equip all competition PCs with Intel® Core™ i7
processors to contribute to a great experience for fans and
competitors,” said John Bonini, VP and general manager of the VR,
gaming, and esports group, Intel. “The Overwatch League will be a
great showcase for esports, and we’re excited to be a part of it
with Blizzard.”
The Overwatch League represents a unique opportunity for
sponsors, with a city-based structure that supports engagement and
a deeper connection to local fan bases around the world. Esports
have already captured the attention of more than 280 million
people[1] worldwide—a community that includes some of the
hardest-to-reach and most sought-after demographics, including a
share of millennials two to three times higher than any of the “Big
Four” US sports.[2] The Overwatch League is based around Blizzard
Entertainment’s blockbuster hit Overwatch, which quickly became the
company’s fastest-growing game following its release last year and
recently reached a new milestone of 35 million players.
The inaugural season of the Overwatch League begins with the
first regular season match on January 10, 2018, and runs until
June, with playoffs and finals scheduled for July. Preseason play
will begin next month, on December 6, with a series of exhibition
matches featuring the inaugural 12 teams. All Overwatch League
preseason and regular-season games for 2018 will take place at
Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art live-event venue in
Burbank, California, custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment
esports events. Information on Overwatch League ticket sales will
be announced in the coming weeks.
About the Overwatch League™The Overwatch League™
is the first major global professional esports league with
city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch®
was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment
(a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic
franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries
of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition
to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,[3] Overwatch was built
from the ground up for online competition, with memorable
characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging
gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the
Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
About HP®HP Inc. creates technology that makes life
better for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers,
PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer
experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available
at http://www.hp.com.
About IntelIntel (NASDAQ: INTC) expands the boundaries of
technology to make the most amazing experiences possible.
Information about Intel can be found at newsroom.intel.com and
intel.com.
© 2017 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE,
BLIZZARD and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING is a trademark of Major
League Gaming Corp.
[1] Newzoo, 2017[2] Esports audience demographic from Blizzard
Consumer Insights survey of 5,000 global esports viewers, 2016; US
professional sports demographics from Barclays ‘Future of Sports:
Aggregator of Platforms', September 2016[3] Sales and/or downloads,
based on internal company records and reports from key distribution
partners
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking
Statements: Information in this press release that involves
Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or
strategies regarding the future, including statements about the
dates and features of the Overwatch League and the sponsorship
arrangements with HP and Intel for Overwatch esports, are
forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number
of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard
Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from
those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this
release include unanticipated product delays and other factors
identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s
most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this
release are based upon information available to Blizzard
Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this
release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard
assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when
made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not
guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or
Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and
other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause
actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171102005586/en/
Overwatch League PRMark Van Lommel, 949.955-1380
x61147mvanlommel@blizzard.comorHP PRConor Driscoll,
650.743.5934conor.driscoll@hp.comorIntel PRFarm Saechou,
916.377.9577farm.p.saechou@intel.com
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