Intel announced an exclusive partnership with Electronic Sports League (ESL) at its press briefing today ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.
Earlier this year, ESL partnered with Facebook and it’s been long-time partners with livestreaming platform Twitch. It’s set viewership records before; according to news site IGN, ESL’s ESL One CS:GO tournament in 2015 was the most-watched CS:GO tournament ever at the time with 27 million viewers.
ESL said that Intel will now power all its streaming and live operations, and the two are teaming up for the new Intel Grand Slam series of 10 competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches (it’s the most popular shooter in esports). They’re offering a $1 million bonus prize to whoever wins 4-out-of-the-10 matches. Finally, they’re also partnering to tackle VR esports with their VR Challenger League, which will compete in Ready At Dawn Studios’ multiplayer Echo Arena VR game.
Intel said that 46 million people watched its Intel Extreme Masters esports event last year, and competitive gaming and streaming are both focuses for its hardware moving forward.
Earlier this year, ESL partnered with Facebook and it’s been long-time partners with livestreaming platform Twitch. It’s set viewership records before; according to news site IGN, ESL’s ESL One CS:GO tournament in 2015 was the most-watched CS:GO tournament ever at the time with 27 million viewers.
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