by Whitney "Neinball" Fairchild - 10 years ago     show comments

Today it was announced that TeSPA, The eSports Association (not to be confused with KeSPA,) has entered into an agreement with Blizzard’s eSports division.

TeSPA is the group that was behind the widely popular Lone Star Clash series of Starcraft 2 tournaments and recently has been working on developing a network of collegiate eSports leagues.  The founders of TeSPA, Adam Rosen, Tyler Rosen and Chris Kelly, will be officially joining Blizzard but will continue to expand their TeSPA network.  Right now there are no details on whether their focus will continue to revolve around collegiate level events or if they’ll expand their focus on a larger market of grassroots leagues.

It’ll definitely be something to keep an eye on going forward to see what Blizzard has planned to help promote more non-WCS tournaments in the different regions.  We’re still a long time away from region locks but helping build up smaller grassroots leagues will go a very long way towards promoting the brand as a whole.

Check out the official press releases from Blizzard and TeSPA below.

TeSPA (The eSports Association) recently announced that founders Adam Rosen, Tyler Rosen, and Chris Kelly have joined the Blizzard eSports team. In addition to supporting a variety of eSports initiatives here at Blizzard, Adam, Tyler, and Chris will continue to focus and enhance their efforts around developing the expansive TeSPA network. Click here to read more on the TeSPA website.

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TeSPA is a network of the top collegiate talent in eSports and gaming. Composed of local chapters—linked by a national board of graduated students—TeSPA aspires to cultivate communities capable of hosting high-caliber eSports experiences at every university and high school in the nation.

TeSPA is pleased to announce that the organization’s founders, Adam and Tyler Rosen and Chris Kelly, have joined Blizzard Entertainment as official members of the company’s eSports team in a collaboration that will strengthen both organizations’ collegiate eSports initiatives. As part of a special arrangement with Blizzard, Adam, Tyler, and Chris will further focus their efforts around developing the expansive TeSPA network while also helping to tailor Blizzard’s own outreach initiatives.

Today’s announcement emphasizes the importance of TeSPA’s mission to accelerate and enhance the growth of grassroots gaming communities everywhere and reflects Blizzard’s ongoing dedication to supporting its passionate community of gamers and eSports fans.

“We’re extremely excited about this opportunity and the potential it has for making a meaningful impact on both our local university TeSPA chapters and eSports as a whole. Adam, Chris, and I are closely aligned with the very community-focused folks at Blizzard, and there is no doubt in my mind that great things lie ahead for everyone involved,” said Tyler Rosen.

TeSPA remains staunchly committed to providing unparalleled support to campus gaming communities across the nation regardless of which games they may play or events they may host. Blizzard shares TeSPA’s commitment to the grassroots scene and to further ingraining eSports into modern academic culture. Both organizations believe that a closer association will provide added benefits for local TeSPA chapters and will be actively working toward that goal—more news to come!