“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
Sr Director of Product

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.

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.

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

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.