Microsoft continues to build its presence in the eSports world. On August 26, the tech giant began hosting weekly League of Legends events at its brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia. Partnering with ASUS Republic of Gamers and HyperX, the “ROG Arena at Microsoft Store” competitions invite up to eight teams of local players to sign up for 5-on-5 battles. The only requirement to compete is an active League of Legends account; Microsoft will provide Windows 10 ROG G752VS gaming laptops, mice, mouse pads and headsets.
Microsoft already hosts similar eSports events at its stores, including games ranging from Counter Strike to FIFA. The company also offers the Mixer NYC Studio, a dedicated digital production shop at its Manhattan flagship store where gaming tournaments are held before a live audience. It also hosts the Halo World Championship.
In 2016, Microsoft created a new way for Xbox Live users to hold eSports tournaments. It also acquired Beam and renamed its game streaming platform to Mixer, which competes with Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch that it acquired for $970 million in 2014.
