EA ramps up esports efforts with new competitive gaming division

Major publishers are champing at the bit to carve a space in the fledgling (but already very profitable) esports landscape. While the likes of Activision-Blizzard, Riot and Valve have already secured their dominant positions, EA has lagged behind. That might change though, with today's announcement of a new Competitive Gaming Division helmed by superstar exec and former COO Peter Moore.

"EA's CGD will seek to build a best-in-class program to centralize our efforts with new events, as well as the infrastructure to bring you the world's preeminent EA competitive experiences."

Activision-Blizzard launched their own esports division in October, with former ESPN CEO Steve Bornstein recruited to oversee it. Of course, Blizzard's StarCraft 2 and – to a lesser extent – EA's sports titles have long had a presence in the esports scene, but the formation of these new divisions points to dramatic growth over the next few years. Indeed, this year's League of Legends World Championships managed to significantly increase its viewership over 2014.

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Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.