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ESPN and 'League of Legends' studio aren't making a broadcast deal
League of Legends is one of the most popular esports titles in the world, but it's not heading to ESPN any time soon. Spokespeople for Riot Games and ESPN tell Engadget that the companies are not working on a broadcasting deal, despite a report on PVP Live claiming otherwise. "The story is inaccurate -- no active talks with ESPN at the moment," the Riot spokesperson said. An ESPN spokesperson further confirmed, "The story is false. We do not have a deal with Riot Games to broadcast League of Legends."
Arizona State University wins 2016's 'Heroes of the Dorm'
Arizona State University's "Real Dream Team" won't have to pay for tuition for the rest of the time they're enrolled. How's that? Over the weekend these runners up from last year's premiere Heroes of the Dorm competition beat out rivals from UConn and the University of Texas at Arlington in Heroes of the Storm, where top prize is gratis education. Before you start wondering if they can repeat this, maybe give the guys a break and let 'em bask in the victory of not only free college, but of their eSports exploits being broadcast in primetime on ESPN 2.
Valve is preparing 'Team Fortress 2' for eSports
Valve plans to kick off the first round of beta testing for Team Fortress 2's competitive matchmaking mode within the next week or so, the company writes in an update on the game's Competitive Beta Steam Group. In the coming weeks, Valve promises to open up the new mode to select members of that group. Plus, it'll host limited-time stress tests with larger numbers of members. "We know you'd all like to start testing now, and eventually we hope all of you will get a chance to play and share your thoughts," Valve writes. "But remember that all testing happens in stages and right now we're at stage one."
The fabulous life of a professional 'Street Fighter' player
Darryl Lewis stows his luggage in the plane's overhead bin and settles into his seat, ready for another takeoff, another trip for work. He's seated next to an older man who's flying with his family. Eventually, the man turns to Lewis and asks him a standard question from the handbook of airplane small talk: "What are you traveling for?" Lewis pauses. He's the professional Ultra Street Fighter 4 player known as "Snake Eyez," and he's on his way to a competition where he could win thousands of dollars for playing a video game better than anyone else in the room. Will this guy get it? Does he even know what video games are or how big the industry is? Has he heard of eSports? Will he laugh? Oh, well. There's only one way to find out.
It's official: Activision buys legendary eSports company MLG
Mike Sepso co-founded the eSports organization Major League Gaming in 2002. In October 2015, he left MLG to work for Activision Blizzard -- the studio behind Destiny, Call of Duty and Hearthstone -- as Senior Vice President of its new competitive-gaming business led by former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein. In the division's first major move, Activision today announced its purchase of MLG's eSports staff and assets in a deal reported to be worth $46 million. Sepso just helped Activision acquire the business he founded 13 years ago.Did he ever dream of ending up in a situation like this?"No one could have put that together," Sepso tells me, laughing. "And if you'd asked me four months ago, I would have said no."
Report: Activision buys eSports staple MLG for $46 million
Call of Duty and Hearthstone studio Activision Blizzard has acquired a majority of Major League Gaming's assets in a $46 million deal that essentially dissolves the professional gaming organization, eSports Observer reports. MLG Co-Founder and CEO Sundance DiGiovanni has left his role and is replaced by former CFO Greg Chisholm, the site says. Neither company has confirmed this report, though we've reached out to both and will update as we hear back.
'League of Legends' shoutcaster loves the game, not the fame
Trevor Henry doesn't like to think of himself as "famous." He prefers the term "recognizable," and then only in certain situations -- like at the League of Legends World Championships in Europe this year. Henry, professionally known as Quickshot, is a shoutcaster for League of Legends, which means he's often the face and voice of professional matches as he commentates on live games and analyzes important moves afterward. Literally millions of people know who he is: In 2014, 27 million fans watched the final match of the League World Championships. For perspective, the NBA Finals in 2014 averaged just 15.5 million viewers per game. Quickshot has been in the shoutcasting game for half a decade, first as a hobby and now professionally in a rapidly evolving industry. He knows where professional League of Legends started and sees where it can go -- and he told us all about it.
League of Legends' first pro female player weighs her options
"I just want it to be known that I accomplished my goal for real, and I accomplished it for me, my teammates, and girls in eSports. That's it. No one else. Don't fucking put me on some LGBT agenda or some bullshit." That's part of the statement that Maria Creveling, known as "Remilia" on the gaming stage, posted to Reddit this morning, following her team's explosive victory in the North American League of Legends Challenger Series last night. The win bumped her team, Renegades, into the League of Legends Championship Series, meaning all of its players are now officially pro -- and making Remilia the first professional female player in League of Legends Championship Series history. However, she may choose to leave the LCS without ever playing a pro game.
'Call of Duty: Black Ops 3' looks like 'Dota 2' with new features
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is banking big on eSports with a handful of new, updated and returning features that make the professional game stand out from everyday matches. Arena, for example, replaces Black Ops 2's League Play as an online ranking system where players compete to reach the top division. CODcaster Mode returns, allowing spectators to commentate over the top of live matches and control some of the visual cues of the game. That's all fine and dandy, but Black Ops 3's real eSports meat comes in the form of Specialist Draft and the "Ban and Protect" systems, which serve to make the professional game play out more like massively successful pro games League of Legends or Dota 2.
The business of eSports in numbers
It takes about 50 years for a "game" to become a "sport," according to Andrew Paradise's calculations. He's an entrepreneur who recently joined the wave of investors getting in on the eSports game: His app, Skillz, allows mobile-gaming fans to win real money while playing some of their favorite titles. That's right, mobile eSports. From smartphones to dedicated eSports arenas, Paradise knows why professional gaming is a booming market and he explains it all in a straightforward, money-focused manner. If you've ever looked at eSports and wondered, "Why?" Paradise might have your answer.
Swedish media house buys world's largest eSports company
Professional gaming is a hot item in the investment world right now and even the largest eSports organizations are getting in on the action. On Wednesday, international entertainment company MTG purchased ESL, the largest eSports organization in the world. MTG spent 78 million euros ($86.4 million) for a majority stake -- 74 percent -- in ESL's holding company, Turtle Entertainment GmbH. This deal marks the first acquisition of an eSports company by a traditional media organization.
Major League Gaming finals head to New Orleans in October
The Major League Gaming World Finals, featuring championships for Dota 2 and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, will be held in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from October 16th to the 18th. The 2015 MLG Finals boast a prize pool of more than $500,000, and it will be the organization's 100th live event (that's some nice timing). MLG, founded in 2002, is the longest-running eSports organization in existence and it's awarded more than $13.5 million in prize money across a range of games over the years. A General Admission pass for all three days of the Finals runs $50, or snag a Dota 2 or Advanced Warfare VIP pass for $200 each. Pro gaming fans, purchase tickets in the MLG store.
Pro gaming doesn't need balls to be considered a 'sport'
The hockey game on the flat-screen behind the bar had served as a pleasant background visual as I ate dinner. But with my plate cleared, the action on-screen drew my full attention. I took a sip of beer as players converged on the puck, white jerseys sliding into red and sticks slapping intently over a small, swift black dot. More furious movement and some of the athletes fell back as others rushed forward chasing their objective: Control the puck. I took another sip. Two men, one from each team, flew toward the black dot as it slid across the bottom wall of the rink and the rest of the players settled into position behind them, constantly moving, pushing for dominance of their immediate areas. Each person on the ice clearly had a specific role. And then halfway through my second beer, it clicked. "It's like they're playing League of Legends in real-life," I thought, frozen in mid-sip. "Holy shit. I think I understand hockey now."
Recommended Reading: 'Lucy's' bad science and space movie inaccuracies
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Lucy's Based on Bad Science, and 6 More Secrets About the Film by Angela Watercutter, Wired A quick Google search will reveal quite a few articles pointing out the inaccuracy of the main premise of Lucy. By ingesting drugs stuffed inside her belly by traffickers, a woman is able to access not just the 10 percent of her brain regular humans can supposedly access, but also the other 90 percent. That whole 10 percent figure is of course a myth, but that didn't stop Luc Besson from using it as the base for his fictional narrative. Besson uses his knack for creating great female leads with some out-of-order storytelling to make the whole thing a bit more believable, and Wired has a quick rundown before this weekend's debut.
Playing video games well can get you into a top South Korean university
Chung-Ang University ranks among the top 10 schools in South Korea, and you know what can get you in other than good grades and connections? Being really, really good at video games. Beginning next year, professional gamers can apply for a spot at the university's Department of Sport Science. Since that department's also in charge of students with more traditional sports backgrounds (you know: soccer, basketball, snowboarding etc.), it's safe to say Chung-Ang recognizes the more sedentary players as athletes, as well. While this news might sound like something from The Onion, it's not such a bizarre development for a country where competitive gaming is huge -- players train as hard as any athlete and matches are even shown on TV. In fact, gaming in the country is big enough that US immigration officials (after some convincing, anyway) granted a couple of pro-gamers athletic visas in the past. With a school possibly honing players' skills even more, we wouldn't be surprised if the immigration ends up giving out more pro-athlete visa in the future. [Image credit: y6y6y6/Flickr]
SteelSeries announces Sensei Major League Gaming edition, keeps palms eager until August
For most of us, the humble mouse is but a tool for effective computer navigation, for gamers though, it's a matter of life and (virtual) death. SteelSeries knows this, and hopes its new Sensei Major League Gaming edition mouse will keep a few more of its faithful out of the MASH. It looks like much of the credentials of the original Sensei have been kept intact, the same 10.8-megapixel sensor, the 150 inches per second movement detection, 32-bit ARM processor, LCD display and so on. What's new then? For the main part, the CPI, which can now go from one to 8,200, or all the way to 16,400 if you use the double CPI feature. You'll have to wait until August to get your hand on it, with pre-orders (but no price as yet) set to open at the MLG Championship next week.
BMW's DesignworksUSA, Thermaltake reveal Level 10 M gaming mouse concept
Themaltake and BMW's DesignworksUSA are apparently a design-team match made in PC gaming heaven. After previously partnering up for the elegant (and functional) Level 10 modular PC case, the two are back at it again -- this time with a focus on peripherals. While details are sparse, the Level 10 M mouse concept you're looking at is the first of the bunch to be revealed, and it's said to arrive sometime during the spring. It's not exactly a shoo-in for MadCatz's Rats, but considering the wire and an aggressively breathable design, it's clearly aimed at pro gamers. Sadly, key specs like its DPI rating and details about any macro functionality are currently non-existent, however, it does appear to be of the optical variety -- here's to hoping it'll perform just as awesome as it looks to the eyes. For now, hit up the press release past the break for a totally vague description.
SteelSeries Sensei gaming mouse goes up for pre-order, obeys your macro come October
Competitive gaming scored itself a new peripheral vying for the top spot back in August, when SteelSeries unveiled its ambidextrous Sensei mouse. If you'll recall, the Sensei tracks up to 150-inches per second with its 10.8 megapixel sensor, and uses a 32-bit ARM processor to calculate it all without bogging down your rig. Making things sweeter, a trio of illuminated sections can be set to differing hues befitting your mood, and an LCD planted on the Sensei's underside will let you change some settings without a computer. If you've been dying to get your FPS-loving mitts on this $90 input device, it's now officially up for pre-order from the company's website and due to hit doorsteps during the first week of October. As usual, the full PR is located just past the break.
Curse interviews HUKs, WSVG kicks off in Louisville
Just in time for the WSVG's kickoff of the Louisville event this weekend, Curse has a video interview up with THE HUKHUKHUKHUKHUKS of Flow Gaming, the US Regional 5v5 Champions. The interview itself isn't really that gripping unless you really follow this arena tournament stuff (I like that they do fit in at least one sports interview cliche: "I feel really good about our win today"). There one complaint about the way WSVG handles gear-- apparently, they give everyone standard gear to make sure things are balanced, but HUK's Shaman says that he gets resilience gear rather than the stamina and crit that he usually uses.Unfortunately Curse doesn't ask about the disqualifications that happened recently (when players were found to be using each other's accounts, against the ToU), but they do ask about another problem I have with WSVG, and that is commentating the matches for spectators. As the players say, "they don't even have a good system to really view the matches as they're happening." So there's a nice goal for some would-be entertainment mogul: figure out a way to make watching players play videogames both understandable and interesting.Meanwhile, the WSVG is in Louisville, and their sparse schedule says they've got WoW on the menu for all four days. If you can't make it down there, Curse will have streaming video all weekend (if you can get it to work-- I couldn't) right here.
Why do pro gamers resemble boy bands?
Professional video gaming has an image issue. The best known pro-gamer is Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendell, but he's really not getting any Sports Illustrated covers or receiving much mention in gaming mags, which focus more on games than professional gaming. Then we've got the fully-manufactured FragDolls. They bring on the sex with the T&A quotient, but don't get respect (although they are very capable gamers) due to their Spice Girls/ Pussycat Dolls status. It's time to find the image for the masses.Wonderland wonders how pro gaming, which is getting increased television time, will translate and market itself. The picture above encapsulates everything wrong about pro-gaming's image. Even when it tries to be serious, it comes off looking like a boy band. It's the type of image that looks like it's meant to appeal to 12-year-old girls, and frankly, they aren't the demographic. And as far as sex appeal goes, other than pedophiles, it only works on gay 13- to 17-year-old-boys comfortable with their sexuality, and that's not really a big demo either. The image just doesn't work to any adult demographic -- well, the aforementioned pedophile demo, but they're even smaller than the other stated demos.So, how does pro gaming market itself? Talent, image, sexuality, envy and money all play a roll in professional sports. How can companies market pro gaming to gamers without making male, female, gay, straight and everyone else over the age of 18 not cringe at the sight of pro gaming team photos?
