That's how Johanna Faries, a vice president at gaming company Activision Blizzard and commissioner of Call of Duty League, described the environment at the Call of Duty playoffs and other major esports events on Cheddar's Business of Sports special on Thursday. While the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on this sort of in-person experience, Faries noted that the industry's growth in 2020 has been a bright spot.
"It's been amazing how much new attention and fandom there has been in light of a very challenging year," she said.
The increased attention has also paid dividends on Wall Street. Activision Blizzard's stock was trading at close to 2020 highs, closing at $83.11 per share at market close on December 10, and showed gradual growth since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. For reference, Activision Blizzard's highest close in 2020 was $86.84 on August 6, at a time when pro sports leagues such as Major League Baseball and the NBA were just beginning to return to action.
Faries also commended the esports community's ability to adapt to a stronger presence on online platforms such as YouTube as a way to connect with fans and other gamers. When discussing the shift in strategy, she said, "Esports has always been a kind of ecosystem, an environment where our players know how to be resilient. They know how to pivot very quickly. They're digitally native."
Looking ahead to 2021, Faries sees the combination of esports' growing energy when it comes to attention and fandom, as well as seeing more engagement on platforms such as YouTube, boding well for the future of the industry.
"To be able to be powerful in both spaces and to continue up and to the right engagement with not only existing fans but new fans is exactly where we want to be," she said. "We feel well-positioned."
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue are bouncing back sharply before the opening bell a day after President Donald Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. Trump told pregnant women not to use the painkiller around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday. The drugmaker tumbled 7.5%. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading.
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