“Building a media network from scratch for Activision/Blizzard’s esports leagues, games, and IP was a massive undertaking, and Free Radicals was vital in creating our experiences.”

Rance Piatt
VP of Product

A female sci-fi character with purple skin, braided hair, and futuristic armor, holding a gun.

Text with the quote: "Media experiences as immersive as the games themselves."

When you’re building a first-of-its-kind media network for a passionate fanbase, you have to deliver something groundbreaking. With Free Radical's focus on strategy, product development, and brand building, the team found new ways to pioneer this evolution for the video game publisher. Combining the robust game IP with the excitement of esports, we created experiences that propelled the network to the top of this new form of entertainment.

Screenshot of the Major League Gaming (MLG) website displayed on a laptop and a smartphone, featuring an action-packed eSports gameplay scene with soldiers in combat, firing weapons in an industrial setting.

The best place to watch the best players play the best games.

At the center of the Major League Gaming (MLG) experience is a modern video-first platform to showcase live and VOD esports and game content across the Activision/Blizzard ecosystem.

This hyper-passionate and engaged audience was looking for a dedicated and immersive experience where they could tune in to the excitement of games like Overwatch and Call of Duty.

Multiple smartphones displaying live eSports streaming content, with sections showing players, game scenes, and event schedules.

An indoor esports arena with a large audience, big screens displaying teams and logos, and stage lighting, promoting the 2019 Overwatch League Watchpoint Season Preview.

A collage of video game-related screenshots and streaming content, including Overwatch gameplay, esports team photos, and streaming interfaces.

Screenshot of an Overwatch League webpage showing current matches, schedule, last week's highlights, and promotional images of teams and players.

Screenshot of a live Overwatch World Cup 2017 match featuring South Korea versus Canada, with in-game view of a player's perspective holding a weapon, and chat messages and player scores on the right side.

Close-up of bold, white text on a black background that reads 'IMMERSIVE.'

MLG idents were captivating pre-rolls to express unique gaming themes and brand the network.

Close-up of a modern PlayStation 5 DualSense wireless controller in white and black.

Fuel.

From its inception, the vision for Major League Gaming was to give gamers a home for the best games and gameplay, an unmet need in the community. As the popularity of esports became embraced by culture, it created an opportunity to make a platform that promotes game engagement and IP.

Spark.

Though still somewhat underground, gaming culture was gaining mainstream traction, with esports burgeoning at grassroots levels. Establishing two professional esports leagues presented a significant opportunity to generate engaging experiences and content to captivate and connect with this audience.

Fire.

Delivering a dedicated media network focused on all the fantastic IP and esports from Activision/Blizzard was a foundation for innovation. It opened the fertile creative ground for creating engaging video experiences, gamification, monetization features, and social campaigns to increase player activity inside the ecosystem.