Blizzard's 'Compete' trademark hints at an eSports service

There's no question that Blizzard is a cornerstone of the eSports world. StarCraft is so big in South Korea that it's virtually an institution, and Heroes of the Storm was the first game to get a live ESPN2 broadcast. It only makes sense that the developer would create an eSports service of its own, then -- and there's a fresh hint that it might do just that. Blizzard has filed for a trademark on "Compete," an online service that would help you "organize and promote" eSports tournaments and ladders. From the sounds of it, this would take the drudgery out of getting a competition off the ground. You'd focus more on the matches themselves, and less on finding out who's on top.

Whether or not Compete becomes a reality isn't certain. A trademark only confirms that Blizzard has been thinking about an eSports offering, not that it's actively working on that kind of product. However, it's hard to imagine the gaming giant willingly sitting by the wayside as eSports take off. A tournament platform could boost the popularity of Blizzard titles at smaller-scale events, and give it an edge over rival game studios that still make the organizers do most of the hard work.

[Image credit: AP Photo/David Goldman]