Can Activision Blizzard create the ESPN of eSports? Gamers are skeptical

A company maligned by fans is placing a $48m bet that it can create the ESPN of competitive gaming, but the scene's greatest successes have come organically

Major League Gaming, a professional eSports organization, announced on Monday that it was acquired by video game publisher Activision Blizzard for a reported $46m, bringing MLG's assets and infrastructure under Activision Blizzard's Media Network. This is the latest event in a timeline that begins on 21 October, when the publisher announced it was creating a new eSports competitive video game division chaired by former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein and senior vice president Mike Sepso of MLG. Bornstein has been a large proponent of eSports, and Activision Blizzard's properties like Starcraft, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm are competitive games. So why has the eSports community seemed less than thrilled about the acquisition in forums and comments sections all over the internet?

Related: Activision acquires Major League Gaming to become 'ESPN of eSports'