Electronic Arts has made a huge stride into the world of competition eSports with the launch of the company’s latest branch, the EA Competitive Gaming Division. The announcement was madeby current EA CEO Andrew Wilson.
The focus for the Competitive Gaming Division is on the creation of eSports comps built around EA’s various franchises, be they sports or shooters, with the press release specifically citing Madden NFL, FIFA and Battlefield as titles they want to push. At the same time, EA wants to use the new division to build “competitive experiences with our games,” in order to create growth in the burgeoning competitive EA community, and put on large scale live eSports events like rivals Blizzard, Valve, Riot Games and Major League Gaming.
Leading the new division will be Peter Moore, EA’s COO since 2011, who will now serve as EA executive vice president and chief competition officer. As it stands, Moore will continue in his current position of COO until March 2016 when EA’s fiscal year comes to a close. Moore is known for his interest in the competitive scene, having previously run the EA Sports Challenge Series and FIFA Interactive World Cup.
EA aren’t the only big name publisher looking to move into eSports. Activision announced earlier this year that they would be partnering with MLG to form an eSports division of their own. Microsoft has been pushing its flagship Halo series as a potential eSports contender with mixed results.
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