ESPN announced that it now has a portion of its website, ESPN.com, dedicated to everything and anything eSports, including tournaments of the leading video games "League of Legends," "Dota" and "Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft."
Making sure all eSports content on the site are updated and well-written, the sports news company hired Darin Kwilinski, formerly the managing editor at the Sherman Oaks-based eSports media company Azubu; Rod Breslau, previously senior editor at TheScore eSports news website; and Tyler Erzberger, also from TheScore, according to Los Angeles Times.
The newly-hired writers and editor will begin reporting on eSports action during the first day of the North American League of Legends Championship Series on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 3:00 p.m. EST, USA Today reports.
ESports have risen into a powerful worldwide industry over the years, growing in number of fans as well as in prizes, gaining a lot of interest from different investors that have several options to join in on the business. Among those joining the business is three-time NBA champion Rick Fox, who buought a team to sponsor and manage. Additionally, Activision bought Major League Gaming in order to run and sponsor tournaments, and Chinese entertainment company Tencent bought Riot Games, creator of "League of Legends."
"The storyline (of eSports) was so compelling that we decided there was no reason we shouldn't be doing this on a daily basis with the same rigor we cover the National League Football or other sports," said Chad Millman, editor-in-chief of ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, Los Angeles Times added.
Now that eSports are gaining so much attention from viewers, fans and investors, the amount of work put into each tournament has also required that professional gamers get the best service possible in order to win tournaments and make represented regions proud.
"Every team has coaches, managers, analysts, psychologists and even more," said Marcel "Dexter" Feldkamp, a "League of Legends" pro from Germany who plays for a team called Legends, ESPN eSports reports. "Players don't have to care about anything anymore besides the game."
