Electronic Arts has launched its own eSports division

Up until a few years ago, few people would’ve predicted that eSports would actually become popular, let alone predict that competitions for games like Counter-Strike and League of Legends would generate more views than many actual sports. The rise of eSports has not only allowed gamers to make a living by playing video games competitively, it’s created a new source of revenue for gaming companies, and Electronic Arts wants a piece of the pie. On Thursday, the company took the wraps off its new eSports division, which it claims will play a very important role in its 2016 line-up of games.

Electronic Arts is going all in on the eSports business. They’ve setup a brand new division headed up by the chief competition officer, Peter Moore. Moore will be accompanied by Todd Stirin who will take on the role of a senior vice president in EA’s new Competitive Gaming Division, now known as the CGD. The news was made over on the official Electronic Arts website, where the multi-billion dollar software publisher and product maker announced that the new division will play a vital role in their fiscal 2016 line-up of games and their attempts to bolster their library around the rapidly budding eSports scene within the interactive entertainment industry. According to the announcement, EA will focus their eSports division around the competition of gaming, the community that keeps the competition going, and the entertainment qualities present in those titles. Those are really basic marketing buzzwords; but they do mention that those three qualities will highlight how they engage the industry with electronic sports and how they leverage their brands around those qualities.