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Full article by Slasher:
Gamespot
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Blizzard Entertainment announced today that it has purchased IGN Pro League technology and assets from the company. In addition, Blizzard has hired several members of the IPL staff to create a new team based in San Francisco, California.
This team's primary goal will be creating "high-quality web and mobile content" to support various Blizzard games. Meanwhile, some IPL staff are now working on Blizzard's eSports team.
With Blizzard's purchase of the IGNProLeague, the IPL brand and structure is effectively dead, and will no longer run major tournaments. This includes tournaments for StarCraft II, but also other games that they have featured previously including Riot Games' League of Legends and Ubisoft's Shootmania. This past weekend's $100,000 Shootmania launch event was the last event the IPL organization will run.
Check back later for an interview with Schneider about the deal.
This team's primary goal will be creating "high-quality web and mobile content" to support various Blizzard games. Meanwhile, some IPL staff are now working on Blizzard's eSports team.
With Blizzard's purchase of the IGNProLeague, the IPL brand and structure is effectively dead, and will no longer run major tournaments. This includes tournaments for StarCraft II, but also other games that they have featured previously including Riot Games' League of Legends and Ubisoft's Shootmania. This past weekend's $100,000 Shootmania launch event was the last event the IPL organization will run.
Check back later for an interview with Schneider about the deal.
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IGN Article:
+ Show Spoiler +
Blizzard has purchased the IGN Pro League. IPL technology and assets are now owned by Blizzard, and existing members of IPL’s staff will help form a new team in San Francisco “whose primary focus will be on creating high-quality web and mobile content in support of Blizzard games.”
“This new team will help us to further develop the rich media experiences that extend the fun and engagement of our games online,” said Blizzard executive vice president of publishing Itzik Ben-Bassat. “This is a team of passionate gamers with a proven track record, and we’re looking forward to now leveraging their expertise and technology to support a variety of online efforts.”
Other IPL staff members will join Blizzard’s existing eSports team. Following today’s news, IGN will partner with multiple eSports organizations to cover their events in the future rather than focusing on a few key titles.
“This new team will help us to further develop the rich media experiences that extend the fun and engagement of our games online,” said Blizzard executive vice president of publishing Itzik Ben-Bassat. “This is a team of passionate gamers with a proven track record, and we’re looking forward to now leveraging their expertise and technology to support a variety of online efforts.”
Other IPL staff members will join Blizzard’s existing eSports team. Following today’s news, IGN will partner with multiple eSports organizations to cover their events in the future rather than focusing on a few key titles.
IGN
Update, interview done by Slasher:
http://www.gamespot.com/news/ign-cofounder-on-ipl-sale-to-blizzard-6406664
With how successful the IPL events have become, why not keep the brand?
Peer Schneider: If you look at the asset transfer, Blizzard is picking up the team and the technology associated with it. We are committed to covering competitive gaming and broadcast events in the future, so you never know what you're going to see from us. The idea behind IPL and what it stood for over the last two years doesn't make sense in our current focus area.
With the acquisition by Ziff Davis, they really wanted to focus in on our core media business. We've got a pretty good thing going when it comes to users that we can afford to take a step back and really kind of focus on the stuff that we kicked off 16 years ago and have really grown over the past decade plus.
The core of what IPL did…it wasn't just about broadcasting eSports matches, something I'd love to continue doing, and it was basically an events business. At this time it doesn't really make sense for us to be in the events business.
How much was IPL sold for?
Unfortunately, neither side will be disclosing any numbers surrounding the deal.
Peer Schneider: If you look at the asset transfer, Blizzard is picking up the team and the technology associated with it. We are committed to covering competitive gaming and broadcast events in the future, so you never know what you're going to see from us. The idea behind IPL and what it stood for over the last two years doesn't make sense in our current focus area.
With the acquisition by Ziff Davis, they really wanted to focus in on our core media business. We've got a pretty good thing going when it comes to users that we can afford to take a step back and really kind of focus on the stuff that we kicked off 16 years ago and have really grown over the past decade plus.
The core of what IPL did…it wasn't just about broadcasting eSports matches, something I'd love to continue doing, and it was basically an events business. At this time it doesn't really make sense for us to be in the events business.
How much was IPL sold for?
Unfortunately, neither side will be disclosing any numbers surrounding the deal.
