Partnership will see ESL create and operate the Hearthstone® esports ecosystem for next two years
Cologne/Stockholm, January 22, 2021: ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, has today revealed that it has entered a two year partnership with Blizzard Entertainment to operate the Blizzard owned esports ecosystem for the Hearthstone® game title.
As part of another landmark publishing deal for ESL, the partnership will impact on some of the largest Hearthstone® tournaments like the Grandmasters and the Hearthstone Masters Tours and will entail a total prize pool of 3,000,000 USD per calendar year.
This announcement follows ESL’s existing partnership with Blizzard around StarCraft II® and Warcraft III® and strengthens the connection between the two brands. Alongside the operation of the main ecosystem, the partnership gives ESL the opportunity to introduce ESL and DreamHack branded competitions in partnership with Blizzard over 2021 and 2022.
“We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Blizzard through this two year Hearthstone® partnership” said Michael Van Driel, Senior Vice President Game Management at ESL Gaming. “Operating the game ecosystem is a great move for ESL and Hearthstone® , fans around the world can look forward to an exciting two years ahead.”
For general information please visit eslfaceitgroup.com or follow ESL on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
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About ESL GAMING
ESL Gaming is the world’s largest esports and gaming lifestyle company. Since 1994, the company has been shaping the industry and leading esports and gaming innovation on a global scale across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline esports competitions, and through premier gaming lifestyle festivals. The company operates high-profile, branded international leagues and tournaments under the ESL Pro Tour, including ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, DreamHack Masters, ESL Pro League, and other preeminent, stadium-size tournaments. ESL Gaming also produces and hosts DreamHack Open tournaments, ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups, matchmaking systems, and DreamHack’s gaming lifestyle festivals — which feature everything gaming under one roof. ESL Gaming is part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group. More information is available at eslfaceitgroup.com.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multifranchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-three #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company’s online gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distributors.
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