Football’s Top Clubs To Feature In New Esports League
Japanese mobile gaming company Akatsuki has revealed plans for the launch of a new professional esports league aimed at traditional pro sports teams.
Participants in the inaugural season of the League of Professional Esports (LPE) are set to include FC Barcelona, Ajax, Galatasary, Santos FC and Real Sociedad, who will compete for a prize pot of $500,000.
Details of the league structure and formats have yet to be published, with organisers promising annual cups and tournaments in “multiple titles.”
The announcement follows Akatsuki’s acquisition of Professional Esports League (PEL), the Spanish company that founded and operates the LPE property.
As part of the agreement, Akatsuki will provide operational support for the LPE, with the aim of driving the global growth of esports market.
The Tokyo-based publisher, best known for its role in co-developing “Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle” for mobile, says its entry into the esports space is based on a vision to support the sector’s overall development.
A press release claims that the LPE will “use the professional knowledge possessed by pro-sports teams in the disciplines of nutrition, exercise physiology, psychology and other athletic training practices to raise the competitiveness of esports players as athletes and promote a healthier [approach to] gaming.
“Also, for the traditional professional sports industry, we can expect to expand the fan base by providing opportunities in gaming technology and new forms of entertainment.”
The move is in line with a growing trend for traditional sports franchises to launch esports sections.
West Ham United and Manchester City are among the UK teams with esports players on their books.
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