The world of eSports continues to grow, almost exponentially, year after year. The biggest publishers and broadcasters in our industry, and even those outside the world of gamedom (former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein comes to mind) have expressed confidence that this has the potential to be the most popular spectator sport in the world. Billions are being invested in networks, stadiums, sponsorships, and advertising. As eSports continue to grow they’ll undoubtedly evolve in the way that they’re monetized, and how the teams and competitors influence policy. Two companies have teamed up to make some interesting progress to that latter end.
eSports startup company Face-It has joined forces with Twitch to create the Esports Championship Series. This brand new league is kicking off with a Counter-Strike tournament that puts teams and players in a position of co-ownership in the business. What does that mean? In addition to sharing revenue and profits, players will also be allowed representation on the league’s governing body. Michael Attisani, co-founder of Face-It, had this to say in a statement:
“Players and teams are the heart of the esports community and deserve the opportunity to reap the rewards of their hard work and dedication to grow esports into a mainstream phenomenon. We make the community our first priority and as such, we’re excited to support the first esports league that positions teams as co-owners.” This seems like a great step forward, and it’ll be interesting to see the impact this has on larger leagues in the future.
Source: VentureBeat