We recently posted a message on the forum of one of the best gaming communities out there, Duck Soup Gaming. A couple of people questioned why we are only focused on LA, San Jose, Portland and Seattle. The question is a good one and I wanted to address it.
We are trying to elevate TF2 to a premier eSports game. In order to do this, we need a whole lot more money at stake for competitions. We don’t think tournament entry fees or crowdsourcing the prize package will get us to the big money that is needed.
Corporate sponsorship is our focus. The eSports scene has definitely matured enough for companies to see the value of sponsoring teams. Not just tech companies but any company that wants to reach young customers. However, corporations are interested in reaching as many people as possible with their advertising money. Therefore, the PBL is focusing on metropolitan regions. The more people the better.
We will expand as quickly as possible. We are determined to learn from the past. Dozens of eSports organizations have come and gone. They promised big things, delivered small and then disappeared. We are building slow and steady so that we can be here tomorrow.
We anticipate expansion at some point but not until we can get the financial backing we need. We will most likely expand to Vancouver, BC. However, Spokane and Boise are probably too small of metro areas to find the major sponsorship. We are very open to being wrong about this assumption. If anyone has an idea for funding teams in these areas please email us at sponsor.battleleague.com.
Currently we have four regions represented by the four metro areas. As time goes on and we demonstrate the demand for competitive FPS play and TF2, we believe the regions will be divided. That means that a Reserve Club team from San Diego can be part of the LA region representing So. Cal. today. And in the future it is probable that San Diego with be its own region. The same is true for Salt Lake and Vegas. If the region is producing a bunch of talented pro players, then it becomes easier for us to find sponsors to divide the region. Vegas Reserve Clubs would fall under the LA region and SLC Reserve Clubs would support the San Jose region for now.
At the heart of the PBL is the focus to provide an extremely challenging experience for pro players who believe they can perform at that level. And of course we want fans to find an intense eSport option in TF2 pro play. Our first step is to organize around these metro areas. We will take the next steps in a very deliberate manner trying to include as many people as possible.
Tom Butler (Phobos)