Shockingly, Korean Succces
As mentioned in previous posts, the eSports industry is a big deal in Korea. Think “NFL in America” or “Maple Syrup in Canada” big.
So, big. HUGE.
eSports is also starting to catch on in the United States as well, but is far slower in coming. A few pro teams have begun to form, but most players who are any good end up getting recruited by…you guessed it…Korea.
Korea is essentially the “promised land” of PC and Console gaming, where even the most shut-in and technologically militant grandmother seems to have a loaded-out PC and passion for pwning n00bs. This is what the games industry has been telling the world that gaming has the potential to be.
Whether this is a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective on devoted and passionate players, crazy fans and spectacles that rival any NFL tailgating party.
Recently, Blizzard ended their negotiations with the Korea eSports Association (KeSPA) after years of back-and-forth talks. Initially, KeSPA had been the big dog of televised eSports broadcasting in Korea, but several years ago the association decided upon a genius plan to sell the broadcasting rights to several prominent Starcraft matches without Blizzard’s consent. Not surprisingly, Blizzard went all Diablo on their asses.
If only. A [Mace of Illegal Broadcasting] with +2 to litigation would be sweet. Especially to the face.
In reality, Blizzard sat down at the negotiating table with KeSPA and tried to hammer out an agreement. Diablo himself was actually an excellent negotiator – he got the cave system under Tristam after a clever negotiation to use it as “medium-density housing”.
Unfortunately, KeSPA was unwilling to listen when Blizzard basically said “stop selling our crap without permission”, and so Blizzard finally walked away from the table. KeSPA likely thought they were the only game in town, but as it turns out, GOMtv was also in town – and happened to be free for not only the evening, but a whole slew of romantic dates.
After several successful ventures together, Blizzard decided to use GOMtv for all of their eSports television needs, and included in that package the right to televise all Starcraft II matches.
In short, this sucks for KeSPA and is a big time deal for GOM. Starcraft II hasn’t proven itself yet, but being even half as popular as the original will net both Blizzard and GOMtv a substantial amount of cold, hard real-world money. Blizz could try and pay their new partner in Vespene, but the market for that has been unsteady of late. GOM probably wouldn’t go for it.
Frankly, we’re surprised that KeSPA was willing to jeopardize their relationship with Blizzard, and according to statements released by the company, KeSPA not only played fast and loose with what they could show, but also threatened programmers and teams by alluding to certain “disadvantages” they would receive in the ultra-competitive world of Korean Starcraft madness if they told Blizz what was going on.
This was a poor choice.
It seems that KeSPA has been making claims that Blizzard is trying to rule the eSports industry with an iron fist, but this really hasn’t been borne out by the company’s actions. These accusations in conjunction with the recent betting scandal have left KeSPA with egg on its face and Blizzard with a franchise to find a home for.
Advantage: Blizzard.
Now, KeSPA is left crying in a corner while GOMtv and Blizzard “get serious” about their relationship. Hopefully, KeSPA will just back off and let bygones be bygones, but if not, we’d love to see GOM take KeSPA down with some liberal hair-pulling or serious eye-gouging.
Totally hot.
