eSports
Charlie Fripp, Kwese ESPN 7y

Overwatch League the most ambitious esports project for Blizzard

esports

The Overwatch League, according to Blizzard, is the most ambitious project that it has ever done in terms of eSports. That is according to Activision Blizzard's Mike Sepso, who is also the founder of MLG.

Sepso explained that the Overwatch League isn't just simply something that Blizzard wanted to get into, but that the whole production of it will drive esports forward as a whole - and that will be great for the community in the long run.

"The most important thing that's happening in the industry right now, and will remain the most important for the next couple of years, is that studios and publishers have fully embraced eSports. I don't think anyone out there would dismiss eSports at this point, and for 13 of the 15 years I've been in this business the games industry was dismissive," Sepso told Games Industry.biz.

However, he was quick to caution that even though Blizzard is behind the Overwatch League, there will be some teething problems in the beginning.

"There's no way we won't make mistakes as we evolve this thing... But it's not a fad, and it's not a single technical innovation that may not develop to its full potential. Its core DNA in the industry now," he said.

But traditional television channels are still slow to adopt eSports into a regular broadcasting schedule, and even though some have been broadcast in the past, Sepso isn't sure if eSports should be on traditional television.

"TV desperately needs younger viewers. I don't know if eSports can solve that. It's tough to imagine people just all of sudden waking up and deciding to get cable so they can watch eSports. It's all available in a much more native environment. I don't think the two play well together."

But as the Overwatch league grows, Sepso is confident that it will serve the community as a whole for a long time to come.

"We're creating a sustainable ecosystem. We're not creating something that we just want to capitalise on for the next couple of years. This will be a core part of the future of the eSports business."

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