It is being reported that English football giants Manchester United are intending to take a step into the world of esports.The reports suggest that Man Utd are currently involved in a bidding war with esports organisation Fnatic over a European Overwatch team.
Offers and counter-offers
If the reports are true, they certainly suggest that Man Utd are serious about what they are doing. After they had made an initial offer, Fnatic countered, only to have United counter their offer in return.Man Utd wouldn’t be the first team to make the step, Schalke and Valencia are amongst the teams who already have, with Turkish side Besiktas being the first club to do so, but Mourinho’s men would be arguably the first major club, and certainly the biggest club to have done so.
Direct ties
There have been direct connections between esports and football clubs in the last year, West Ham signed Sean ‘Dragonn’ Allen as an official FIFA representative, and David ‘DaveBTW’ Bytheway signed for VFL Wolfsberg.FIFA offers an accessible route into esports for sports fans, and EA are clearly looking to capitalise, with the head of the company’s esports decision, Peter Moore, discussing the matter at the recent E3 convention.Moore stated that EA were looking to get players of all levels interested in competitive gaming, and that they would be investing in tournaments and events to try and facilitate this goal.He added that alongside the FIFA franchise, the company would also be focusing on the forthcoming Battlefield 1, and the globally popular Madden series.Moore admitted that many games, such as League of Legends, were too complicated for many, but FIFA does not have this problem:“There’s an accessibility we have as an advantage, and we intend plumb the depths of where we can go with that.”