This week saw the departure of Blizzard's esports director Kim Phan, yet another high profile figure to leave the company in the space of a month.
Yet another Blizzard departure
Blizzard had to say farewell to Kim Phan, the company's global esports director, after she handed in her resignation which was effective June 14. As reported by The Esports Observer, Phan plans to pursue new endeavors within the industry, though it's unknown exactly what (or where) this would take the Blizzard veteran.
Interestingly, this departure is but less than a month than Overwatch League Commissioner Nate Nanzer left Blizzard to go work at Epic Games. After working at Blizzard for more than 13 years, Phan informed the community in a post published on TeamLiquid.net, "As I hang up my sword and shield, I look forward to a bright future and wish all my Blizzard friends and family the very best."
Recent reports point to low morale at Activision Blizzard, particularly around its esports division. We've covered the closing of Heroes of the Storm esports as well as other moves that signal the company looking to consolidate efforts.
Twitch buys Bebo
Since Amazon purchased Twitch, the streaming platform has grown considerably, but so too has the competition. Facebook and Discord are both looking to take a slice of the game streaming, and esports pie and Bebo was the latest toy these competing giants fought over. Twitch won in the end, purchasing the defunct social media platform-turned streaming software company for up to $25 million, according to TechCrunch.
Bebo has come a long way, starting off in 2005 as a social media network to take on MySpace and Facebook. AOL bought and sold the company, which resulted in the social platform shuttering and the company working to revitalize itself by producing video game streaming software. Now, Bebo handles gaming events and tournaments, and it looks like Twitch wants to add some social features to its platform, which can only be a good thing for the community.
We'll have to see how Twitch utilizes this purchase to enhance the viewing experience.
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