This is Part Two of a multi-part series about the infrastructure of esports leagues. Part One focused on the differences between the franchise model chosen by Blizzard and Riot and the hands-off approach used by Valve. This part concerns the minor league ecosystem and both the League Championship Series and Overwatch League’s “Path to Pro” […]
American tennis shoe brand K-Swiss and the Immortals esports franchise announced plans on Friday for a pair of sneakers, both a lifestyle shoe in the leisurewear category and also — wait for it — “a technical performance model” designed for professional gamers. While the proposition of specifically engineered footwear for a sedentary activity may seem […]
North Carolina State’s Nyheim Hines and PC-component manufacturer NZXT claim to have one important thing in common: speed. The NFL-bound running back, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash for a RB at the combine, has partnered with the company to promote its products. Step one: show everyone the joys of playing Fortnite on a PC […]
NEW YORK — Within the VR headset, I look down and see a home plate and two batter’s boxes, as one would expect in any old baseball video game, but when I look right, I see the aquarium embedded into the backstop of Marlins Park. Looking left toward the outfield, the infamous monstrosity circus prop […]
The University of California, Berkeley and Riot Games have announced a partnership to launch the inaugural League of Legends (LoL) Intramural Esports League this fall and to provide scholarships to student-athletes on the UC Berkeley LoL team. UC Berkeley is one of Pac-12’s leading proponents of esports, having offered the competitions through intramural programs for […]
