Gaming company Activision Blizzard has officially announced on Tuesday that the company has acquired an asset from its rival Major League Gaming. Although, the gaming company has been mum on the acquisition price, a recent report from ESports Observer says that the company has bought MLG's assets for $46 million, a report from Gamespot said.
According to the report, the company's move to buy the asset of Major League Gaming is seen to boost the efforts of the company in the gaming industry. It can be recalled that by the end of 2015, the company has established an ESports division which was led by Steve Bornstein, ESPN CEO and co-founded by Major League Gaming Mike Sepso.
"The basic idea here is the MLG team has unparalleled experience and expertise in producing premium esports content, all the way from creating leagues and structures and operating events and producing the best content out there. What we think is missing is a really premium channel, similar to ESPN, that services the esports community with the best content available," Sepso told Gamespot in an interview.
In a separate statement, Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard said that the company plans to create the "ESPN of eSports."
"MLG's ability to create premium content, 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," Kotick said as quoted in Polygon.
"MLG will continue to operate MLG.tv, MLG Pro Circuit and GameBattles platforms. It will also continue to work with its partners and publishers," the report said.