From Lazy Summer to Major League Gaming: Mike Sepso on Founding the Esports Giant
*By Zane Bhansali*
Mike Sepso is a gilded name in esports.
His latest win? The senior VP of Activision Blizzard was recently appointed a strategic partner of Overwatch team league New York Excelsior.
And he also happens to be the leader of Major League Gaming, which he founded with partner Sundance DiGiovanni in 2002. But before he assumed his throne, Sepso conceived MLG during a single lazy summer when he and his partner were basking in the glory of their previous company, Gotham Broadband.
"What we wound up doing a lot of was playing 'Halo' competitively against each other and other people and going to Yankees games," he told Cheddar of that period.
"And somehow, over the course of lots of games of 'Halo' and winning some money from the guys that lived down the hall from Sundance, lots of Yankees games, and sort of thinking about it, the idea for MLG came together."
Sepso may sit above most in the esports stadium, but he's still able to spot all the changes from his perch.
"I think you have the new world of the gaming industry ー it's different," he said. "The old genres don't really matter anymore."
He distinguished the most popular titles by their goals, and said "Overwatch" was "built for esports" and Epic Games' phenomenon "Fortnite" was "made for broadcast and streaming."
Of superstar streamer Ninja and his game of choice, he said, "I think it's sort of a symbiotic relationship. I don't think Ninja would be playing 'Fortnite' if there weren't a lot of people interested in watching."
And of course, it's all about the fans.
"I think part of it is he just got really, really good at streaming and developed a really good rapport with this fanbase. And then this game came out, and it was sort of perfectly attuned to him."
But, Sepso said, it's also a matter of skill and expertise. Ninja, among other things, has mastered his craft.
"It's rewarding if you're a really skilled player, and certainly he's got a long history of being a very skilled player and very practiced."
Richard Jefferson, host of the Road Trippin' podcast, NBA Today analyst, and NBA Champion, joins Cheddar Bets to break down All-Star Weekend festivities and to give his "Pick 6" for tonight.
Sponsored by BetMGM
BetMGM Host Olivia Harlan Dekker joins Cheddar Bets to break down tonight's big Bucks-76ers matchup -- likely Philly's last game without James Harden.
Sponsored by BetMGM
While many are excited to watch the final two NFL teams square-off and see which one ultimately takes home the trophy, some, on the other hand, are there for another mian attraction -- the commercials. Companies during this year's game are looking towards the future From electric vehicles, to robots, and crypto-currency, several first-time advertisers are expected to join long-time advertisers like Pepsi, Budweiser and Doritos during the NFL's biggest game. Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer at R/GA, joined Cheddar News' Big Game Special to discuss.
This week's Spring Training has been delayed as a result of the ongoing MLB Lockout. This past Saturday lead negotiators and lawyers from Major League Baseball and the players union met to discuss the economic hurdles needed to be cleared for a new labor deal, but from all accounts, it seems the sides are still far apart. Baseball Columnist and Publisher of "The Joe Sheehan" Baseball Newsletter, Joe Sheehan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Super Bowl might be over, but people are still buzzing about the players, commercials, halftime show, and more. Google tracks the top searches before and after the game every year, revealing the show-stopping moments of the biggest sporting event of the year. Sadie Thoma, Director of US Creative Partnerships at Google, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the top trends this year.
Private equity firms are taking a big interest in investing in NBA teams, the sports league showing the highest ROI over the last two decades according to Sportico, Forbes, and PitchBook. Wylie Fernyhough, lead analys for private equity at PitchBook joined Cheddar News to discuss the way firms are looking to get a piece of the action on the court. “There’s a certain amount of rarity, with these," Fernyhough said. "They’re not exactly printing new NBA franchises."
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
