The Premier League is "aiming to cash in on the growing popularity of esports by launching its own competition," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. The competition, named ePL, will allow fans to play against each other as one of the Premier League’s 20 teams in the FIFA game produced by EA Sports, "with a final to take place in London televised live on Sky Sports." The usual FIFA game rules will apply, "so gamers will be able to sign players for their clubs by buying points or receiving rewards." FIFA already runs an annual eWorld Cup, which awarded this year's winner $250,000 in August. The ePL will "initially offer no cash prizes, just a trophy." The ePL kicks off in January, with British residents aged 16 and over eligible to enter the online qualification on PlayStation or Xbox One (LONDON TIMES, 10/4). REUTERS' Simon Evans reported all 20 Premier League clubs will have a live playoff round, giving two competitors, one for PlayStation and one for Xbox One, "a chance to advance" to the ePL Final. EPL Managing Dir Richard Masters said, "We know that millions of fans play FIFA and this new esports competition will provide our clubs with an exciting opportunity to engage with them." The Bundesliga also launched a league in collaboration with EA and other sports, such as Formula 1, have "also crossed over into esports" (REUTERS, 10/4).
