The NHL Gaming World Championship being played next Tuesday in Las Vegas "could be an important first step for the league to eventually widen" its scope with a "new, massive audience of young fans," according to Emma Achour of THE ATHLETIC. This will be the "first edition" of EA Sports' dive into NHL esports, and it plays into the "fact that the NHL is always looking to attract a younger audience." NHL VP/Digital Chris Golier said, "Everybody has that on their business plan. I think we certainly see that the esport community and these tournaments can do that." Golier noted a 16-year-old is "one of the favourites to win in Vegas." Golier: "It's a broader audience that is really appealing to us." Achour noted the NHL Gaming World Championships has a $50,000 prize to the winner and a "total purse of $100,000." The NHL believes that following this initial Gaming World Championship, entering into a partnership with their players and team is the "natural next step." It is a path that has been "forged by the NBA" with its NBA 2K league. Golier: "We didn’t do everything 100 percent right, this is a learning year without a doubt, but I think we did a nice job, that the content came out really well. For next year, we’ll have some different formats. Our clubs have expressed quite a bit of interest in getting involved, and we want them to. So we need to create a platform for them to be able to activate locally" (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/14).
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