The companies announced Tuesday that Comcast has partnered with Mission Control, a recreational esports community platform, to launch a three-month-long esports league.
Gamers in Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. will be able to play the game starting this month. will be invited to compete in the “Xfinity City Series,” a league competition sponsored by Xfinity.
Participants will compete in four regular-season games per title each month, with the finalists facing off in a series of playoffs. “Fortnite” will kick off the league, followed by “Rocket League” in February and “Super Smash Bros” in March. On the league’s app and website, powered by Mission Control, gamers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to compete, socialize, and track their progress.
Megan Wallace, VP of marketing for Comcast’s Northeast Division, said the campaign aims to engage and build the gaming community while promoting Xfinity’s gigabit service through multiplayer gaming.
Prizes totaling up to $50,000 will be awarded to league winners. For example, winners of “Fortnite” and “Rocket League” will receive a Playstation 5 and Super Smash Bros. The winners of the Ultimate Playoffs will receive a Nintendo Switch OLED console.
All monthly event winners will also receive a custom controller for their respective console, as well as digital brag badges that they can use to brag about their rank and participation on social media.
Mission Control hopes that the league will continue to promote the gaming community.
Twitch, G4, Overwatch League, Philadelphia Fusion, and Nerd Street Gamers are among the gaming leagues and companies that Comcast has previously partnered with, as well as sponsorship of high-profile streamers like Bugha, BasicallyIDoWrk, and ‘iamBrandon’
The video game market has exploded in recent years, with Statista estimating that consumer gaming spending in the United States will reach $11.6 billion in Q2 2020. Gaming is expected to grow even more in the coming years, surpassing a valuation of $200 billion in 2023.