Major League Gaming Corp. (MLG) was a professional esports organization located in New York City. It was founded in 2002 by Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso. MLG held official video game tournaments in the United States and Canada. The Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit was a TV broadcast of Halo 2 MLG tournaments in 2006 and 2007, shown on ESPN.com and other online platforms. The company also worked in television production and game development. MLG aimed to make computer and console game tournaments into competitive and watched events.
In January 2016, video game publisher Activision Blizzard announced it would buy Major League Gaming. Activision Blizzard, which had its own esports division led by MLG co-founder Mike Sepso, said it planned to use the purchase to help create a TV network focused on esports.
MLG had financial losses, which led its parent company, Activision Blizzard, to close its final office in January 2024.
Pro Circuit
The MLG Pro Circuit list of games included Starcraft II and League of Legends for the PC. Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur V, and King of Fighters XIII were available for the PlayStation 3, and Super Smash Bros. Melee was the only game for the GameCube. Fighting games were commentated by Juicebox Abel, Tom Brady (not to be confused with the NFL quarterback), and Bibulus. No League of Legends casters have been announced.
Major League Gaming organized online competitions for the online-only professional circuit games to determine participants for the national championship. In previous years, MLG held Super Smash Bros. Melee tournaments from 2004 to 2006 and also hosted events for games like Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Tekken 5, Gears of War, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas, Shadowrun, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, Call of Duty 4, and Gears of War 2.
Each player or team needed to buy a team pass to join. These passes usually became available weeks before the next Pro Circuit event. Since the number of passes was limited, players were advised to purchase them as soon as they were available.
Call of DutyPro League
The MLG Pro League was a Call of Duty competition that took place in 2014 and 2015 for the games Ghosts and Advanced Warfare in those years. Each year had three seasons, and 16 teams competed in each season. The regular season was played online, with each team playing against every other team over two months. After each season, the four teams with the lowest scores played in a relegation tournament, and the eight teams with the highest scores competed in an offline playoff tournament.
There was also a Dota 2 Pro League supported by joinDota.
Held as MLG Anaheim 2014.
History
Major League Gaming (MLG) was started in 2002 by Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso. In 2006, MLG became the first video game console league in the United States to be broadcast on TV. Their Halo 2 Pro Series was shown on USA Network through Boost Mobile MLG Pro Circuit. Later, MLG moved its offices to 3 Park Avenue.
In February 2009, MLG received $10 million in funding from Ritchie Capital Management. On February 6, 2009, MLG Commissioner John Nelson told the MLG community that the 2009 pro circuit format would change. Semi-pro teams could now earn pro status. The system for tracking points and the championship structure were also updated. On August 18, 2009, MLG bought Agora Games. CEO Matthew Bromberg said, "We already run the largest online competitive gaming site. Agora makes the best multiplayer communities. Combining with Agora helps us focus on our strongest area."
In March 2010, fighting games returned to the pro circuit. Tekken 6 was played only on PlayStation 3, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl returned. These games were part of the season opener in Orlando, along with Halo 3, which began its third season with MLG.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was added to the Online Pro Circuit on MLG's GameBattles website for PlayStation 3. The game was originally on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. However, because of hacking on Xbox 360, the game lost its "Pro Circuit" label. Prize money stayed the same for both consoles. PlayStation 3 players could earn Pro Points. Those with enough points at the end of the third season qualified for MLG Nationals in Dallas. Xbox 360 players did not earn points and had online-only championships. On July 30, 2010, StarCraft II was added to the Pro Circuit and made its debut at MLG Raleigh.
The 2011 Circuit included four games: Halo: Reach, Starcraft 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the mid-season addition of League of Legends. Pool Play, a format not seen since 2005, returned. The top 16 teams were grouped into 4 pools of 5 teams. The fifth team in each pool played an undefeated amateur team. The team with the best record in pool play advanced to the winner's bracket semi-finals, securing a Top 6 finish.
In 2012, MLG changed many titles in the Pro Circuit. Starcraft II became the main title, and fighting games for PlayStation 3 and League of Legends were added. Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops were no longer on the circuit. Call of Duty was removed because MLG did not receive enough funding from PlayStation. The tournament format also changed, with 4 quarterly seasons. Each season included 2 Arenas and a Championship. Championships featured all Pro Circuit titles and had free SD broadcasts. Arenas were pay-per-view events, only for Starcraft II, and were shown in HD from MLG's studio in New York.
In 2012, MLG formed new partnerships. It partnered with CBS Interactive to improve broadcasts and integrate with GameSpot.com. This aimed to reach a larger audience. MLG also partnered with KeSPA (Korean Esports Association) for a multi-year agreement. This allowed MLG to have exclusive access to KeSPA's Starcraft: Brood War players. KeSPA pros came to the U.S. to compete in MLG events. They could not compete in other foreign tournaments without MLG's approval. The partnership started in June, with KeSPA pros participating in an exhibition event at MLG Anaheim.
On November 2, 2012, Halo was reintroduced to the pro circuit with the start of the MLG Fall Championship in Dallas, Texas. Halo 4, released on November 6, was one of five games played at MLG Dallas.
In January 2013, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 joined the Pro Circuit.
In 2013, MLG signed Carbon and Str8 Rippin to a $1.75 million contract.
On August 14, 2013, Call of Duty: Ghosts was announced as MLG's featured first-person shooter game for the MLG Columbus and 2014 season events. From June 8–10, 2014, MLG held a Call of Duty: Ghosts tournament at the X Games. OpTic Gaming won, with players Matt "Nadeshot" Haag and Seth "Scump" Abner.
In April 2014, MLG partnered with Lai Fung Holdings Limited and eSun Holdings Limited to build the MLG Arena on Hengqin Island in China, near Macau. The arena was planned to open in 2017 as part of the "Creative Culture City" development.
In October 2014, MLG opened the 14,000-square-foot MLG.tv Arena in Columbus, Ohio, near Easton Town Center. The first event was the Season 3 Call of Duty playoffs.
On December 31, 2015, it was reported that Activision Blizzard bought "substantially all" of MLG's assets for $46 million. Sundance DiGiovanni was replaced by Greg Chisholm, MLG's former CFO. Activision Blizzard, which owns Call of Duty and Starcraft, plans to create an esports channel similar to ESPN. MLG continued hosting events for games not published by Activision Blizzard.
Activision Blizzard confirmed the purchase on January 4, 2016. CEO Bobby Kotick said the goal was to build a television channel focused on esports. Despite the acquisition, MLG kept hosting events for non-Activision games.
In May 2016, MLG introduced "Enhanced Viewing Experience," a new streaming tool that showed live data and statistics.
MLG faced a big drop in viewers and profits during the COVID-19 pandemic. It officially closed on January 15, 2024, with the shutdown of GamesBattle, its last active branch.
MLG.tv
MLG.tv was an online video service created by Major League Gaming. Some professional Call of Duty players, such as Matt "Nadeshot" Haag, signed special agreements with the service. By the end of the first quarter of 2015, MLG reported that mlg.tv had 253% more people watching its content compared to before.