Earlier this month, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick declared that he wants to build the “ESPN of video games.” Turns out ESPN wants to do that too.
Today, the sports conglomerate and Deadspin nemesis launched ESPN Esports, a vertical dedicated to competitive gaming. They haven’t gotten too specific about their plans, but they’ve got segments dedicated to news and coverage on Hearthstone, Dota 2, and League of Legends. They’re also looking into airing more esports and even hosting their own Twitch broadcasts, according to the LA Times.
This is exciting news for anyone who likes video games, of course, but given what happened last year when ESPN2 aired Heroes of the Storm, it seems like they have a long road ahead of them.
You can reach the author of this post at jason@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @jasonschreier.