Blizzard Has Purchased The IPL From IGN
Last month IGN cancelled its big eSports event, the IGN ProLeague 6, and announced that it was selling off the league. After a month of searching for a new home it looks like they finally found one. Blizzard has purchased the technology and assets from IGN in effort “to provide world-class entertainment”.
With the acquisition Blizzard will also be bringing on members of the IPL staff to work as part of a new team to help create “high-quality web and mobile content in support of Blizzard games”. According to Blizzard executive VP Itzik Ben-Bassat, “This new team will help us to further develop the rich media experiences that extend the fun and engagement of our games online.” Other IPL staff will be joining Blizzard’s existing eSports team as well.
Blizzard has also clarified that the IPL business itself is closed, as they have “no plans to continue operation”. IGN, in the meantime, will begin partnering with “multiple eSports organizations to cover their events in the future rather than focusing on a few key titles.” This is in part to become “agnostic” in their coverage of other eSports events.
