Esports Competitions Coming to E3 2017
LOS ANGELES – June 8, 2017 – Esports will make their E3 debut this year at the E3 ESPORTS ZONE, Powered by ESL. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and ESL, the world’s largest esports company, today announced a partnership to bring esports to the world’s premiere show for video games. The partnership is a result of the exploding growth and interest in esports and E3’s vision to showcase world-class esports activities.
“E3 is the biggest event in video games and esports has one of the fastest growing audiences in not just video games but all of entertainment,” said Rich Taylor, senior vice president of communications and industry affairs at ESA, the trade association that represents the US video game industry. “We are excited to partner with ESL and bring a dedicated esports stage to E3.”
The E3 ESPORTS ZONE Powered by ESL, which will be located at Booth 947 in the South Hall of Los Angeles Convention Center, will feature a full-size esports stage and spectator seating. Competitions will feature top teams and the popular esports titles including Vainglory (Super Evil Megacorp) and the new Quake Champions (Bethesda/id Software). The competitions will also be streamed live on Twitch and simulcast on E3’s live-stream portal at live.e3expo.com.
“With the growth of esports over the past four years, we’re now seeing more developers and publishers build games with a focus on competitive game play and esports tools. This creates a very exciting outlook for the future of esports to have more game titles engaging new players and new fans,” said Craig Levine, CEO, ESL North America. “E3 has a tremendous global audience and is the biggest video game industry event of the year. We are excited to partner with ESA to reach gaming enthusiasts and industry leaders by allowing them to experience high-quality, professionally produced esports live and in-person.”
The esports industry is expected to accelerate from roughly $200 million in revenue in 2015 to $1 billion in revenue by 2018, according to Baird Equity Research. And by 2020, esports viewership will exceed 10 percent of all US sports viewing and attract more viewers than the finals of other major US sports, including baseball, hockey, and basketball.
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About E3
E3 is the world’s premier event for computer, video, and mobile games and related products. At E3, the video game industry’s top talent convenes at the Los Angeles Convention Center, connecting tens of thousands of the best, brightest, and most innovative in the interactive entertainment industry. For three exciting days, leading-edge companies, groundbreaking new technologies, and never-before-seen products will be showcased. E3 connects both new and existing partners, industry executives, and the biggest fans of video games, providing unprecedented exposure to emerging markets. E3: It all starts here. See more at www.E3Expo.com.
About ESA
ESA offers a wide range of services to interactive entertainment software publishers, including conducting business and consumer research; providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property, and technology/e-commerce issues; managing a global content protection program; owning and operating E3; and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, visit or follow us on Twitter at @RichatESA or @ESAGovAffairs.
About ESL
ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world’s largest esports company, leading the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL National Championships and other top tier stadium-size events, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and television production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in North America, Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint www.eslgaming.com.
