PlayVS adds Hearthstone to high school esports platform
PlayVS announced an exclusive partnership with Activision Blizzard to add Hearthstone alongside Overwatch (an existing PlayVS regional league title) to the PlayVS high school esports game lineup starting in the spring 2022 season.
Activision Blizzard joins Riot Games, Nintendo, Electronic Arts (EA) and Psyonix as the fifth official and third exclusive publisher partner of the high school esports platform operator.
This partnership adds another big game to scholastic esports, as it provides high school-aged players a chance to participate in organized league play with coaching similar to that of professionals. PlayVS also complements Activision Blizzard’s existing efforts to grow local fanbases for its city-based professional franchises and will serve as a reliable talent pipeline for identifying future esports stars.
Activision Blizzard had a rocky year in 2021 as the state of California filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company. But a management change will likely be coming as Microsoft agreed to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in gaming’s largest acquisition to date.
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“We continue to grow season over season in terms of the number of schools that sort of actively participate,” said Delane Parnell, CEO of PlayVS, in an interview with GamesBeat. “One of the most fascinating metrics to me is how many kids on average participate in esports in each school.”
In just three years, PlayVS has grown that number from essentially zero to 28, which means 28 kids per school on average participate, which is actually on par with traditional sports. As more coaches come online, that number will grow and it will likely soon pass
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