Pioneer Square Labs is adding some bench strength. The Seattle-based startup studio, which has already spun out companies such as AdLightning, LumaTax, Boundless and JetClosing, has tapped longtime Seattle entrepreneur Matt Hulett as an entrepreneur-in-residence. Hulett is focusing on ideas in the eSports sector, signaling that Pioneer Square Labs sees opportunities in the burgeoning area of professional video games, which some see mushrooming into a billion dollar industry and is now attracting the likes of Turner and the NBA. Hulett has a history in the gaming industry. He previously served as chief revenue officer of RealNetworks’ RealGames unit, and also… Read More
The popularity of competitive gaming — also known as eSports — continues to rise, and some predict that it may surpass traditional sports within the next few years. Global brand agency Momentum today released a new research study that asked gamers about their media consumption habits and thoughts on the future of gaming. Momentum, which utilized Twitch’s Research Power Group to poll more than 2,600 gamers across the U.S., U.K., and Japan, found that 53 percent of respondents think people will spend more time watching and playing games than watching and playing traditional sports within the next five years. Momentum CEO Chris… Read More
Virtual football collided with real football at a first-of-its-kind event on Thursday evening in Seattle. The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) transformed into a video game party of sorts as the Seattle Seahawks hosted their inaugural Madden 17 Championship Tournament, where eight of the nation’s top Madden gamers duked it out on the giant Sky Church screen for a chance to win part of a $15,000 prize pool and a spot in the Madden 17 Club Series Championship this April. Madden, the popular football video game made by Electronic Arts, partnered with the NFL this year and for the first time enabled eight… Read More
Twitter is teaming up with some of the world’s top eSports companies as it continues to ink more and more live-streaming deals. The company today announced a global partnership with three leading eSports event operators — ESL, DreamHack, and Intel Extreme Masters — to livestream more than 15 eSports events and 1,500 hours of programming, including a weekly 30-minute show exclusive to Twitter. The partnership will kick off Saturday with Intel’s Katowice tournament streamed on Twitter for free. “Esports is growing at a rapid pace and we see this collaboration as a way to tap into the engaged audience of gamers that are… Read More
The NBA is going big with eSports. The league is creating the first-ever NBA eSports league in partnership with Take-Two, makers of the popular NBA 2K series. ESPN reported the news late Wednesday. Launching next year, the NBA 2K eLeague will eventually feature 30 NBA 2K teams, each owned by the 30 real-live NBA franchises. The teams will feature five human gamers who will play a full five-month season on NBA 2K, along with playoffs and a championship. The gamers will earn salaries and train throughout the season. They won’t play with real NBA players in the game. ESPN reported that the eLeague could be a “huge potential money-maker,” and… Read More
