It was only a matter of time. One of the the largest AAA publishers on the planet has decided to lumber in to E-sports. Led by Peter Moore (former COO of EA) it seems that EA will open up “a new Competitive Gaming Division” Moore said:

“As the latest step in our journey to put our players first, [the Competitive Gaming Division] will enable global eSports competitions in our biggest franchises including FIFA, Madden NFL, Battlefield and more,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said, in a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz. “EA’s CGD will seek to build a best-in-class program to centralize our efforts with new events, as well as the infrastructure to bring you the world’s preeminent EA competitive experiences.”

I’m about as surprised as I was when Battle Front had no campaign. Look EA makes some of the biggest games that exist, Battlefield, Battle Front, Madden, Fifa, all EA properties. Activision-Blizzard already has their own E-sports division, and its an obvious space that EA can fill in with their massive bulk of money. I would expect tournaments to happen often, some kind of world championship, and lots of money.  I cant say I dislike the idea, I mean more money usually means more plays, more leagues, and better structure, but honestly i don’t trust EA as far as I can throw them.