In recent news, Activision-Blizzard acquired Major League Gaming (MLG) in a move that caught gamers and MLG shareholders alike off guard. A December 21st meeting of the MLG board of directors agreed to sell the company to the video game giant. So what does this mean for gamers?
Major League Gaming was once the largest eSports company in North America, and it's responsible for bringing about a lot of the popularity of eSports in games like Call of Duty, League of Legends, and other popular games. They even opened an eSports arena in Ohio and were planning one to be built in China. However, "MLG's relevance has waned in recent years and in October, it lost the hosting rights to the Call of Duty World League's Pro Division to the ESL."
The sale of MLG was for total of $46 million, yet according to a letter that went out to stockholders, $31 million of that sum is actually going to pay off various debts/liabilities. The move caught a lot of stockholders off guard, and as one eloquently stated, "I got f*cked on stock."
So what does this takeover mean for us gamers?
I'd wager nothing bad. The Activision-Blizzard hydra already has several games featured in eSports, and it seems likely that this acquisition is simply a part of a larger strategy to bring more eSports into popular culture, which I would like to see happen. So long as Heroes of the Storm doesn't supplant a good MOBA like League of Legends, I've can't see any really noteworthy issues with a strong company moving into the eSports genre. Of course, I could be wrong, but at the very least, we gamers now have a major software company backing eSports very firmly. It will be interesting to see what the company does with MLG in the future.
So what do you think of the MLG sale? Will this infuse life into eSports or bring it's downfall? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below!
