The NHL is right behind the NBA in getting involved with competitive gaming.
Delaware North, a company that specializes in offering food services at entertainment venues, today announced a “strategic partnership” with the esports organization Splyce. Delaware North chairman Jeremy Jacobs owns the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. It plays at the TD Garden, the sports arena that Delaware North owns and operates. This is another example of company’s with experience in real sports getting involved with digital competition, following the Philadelphia 76ers entry into the market.
Splyce has teams in nine games: League of Legends, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, Gears of War, and Super Smash Brothers Melee. Some of these, notably League of Legends and Counter-Strike, are among the most popular esports games. The North American-based Splyce was founded in 2015. Spylce’s World of Warcraft team recently won the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship in November.
Delware North did not release the terms of the deal.
“A major focus at Splyce is the application of traditional sports knowledge into our growing esports industry,” said Marty Strenczewilk, chief executive officer and president of Splyce, in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “This partnership with Delaware North allows us unfettered access to championship-caliber training staff, expert guidance on key areas of monetization and rock-solid infrastructure that can allow us to skyrocket our growth and maturation as a global sports franchise. We are equally excited about the opportunity to rally one of the most passionate and loyal local fan-bases in professional sports into a legion of Splyce fans. With these powerful resources behind us, Splyce is equipped to become the premier esports team in the world.”