Speaking with Forbes [via GIBiz] Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg has acknowledged the popularity of eSports, and says he believes it will continue to grow without support from the games industry.
“[eSports] is happening with or without us,” he claimed.
“Games have become the biggest unofficial sports league in the world right now,
“There’s a massive unofficial ecosystem of content, whether it be on YouTube or Wikipedia pages, dedicated to the world’s most dedicated gamers.”
Hirshberg described Call of Duty’s first $1 million tournament as “massive”, and hinted at the desire to bring eSports to television.
“I feel like there’s an organic thing that’s happening,” explained Hirshberg.
“I’m more interested in supercharging that thing that’s already happening organically than transforming it into an existing ecosystem like television, because they’re not always compatible.
“It would be like saying what are the opportunities for YouTube videos on television.”
