SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Qualcomm is teaming up with Esports league ESL Gaming to launch a mobile gaming tournament with $2 million in prize money.
Esports refers to competitive, organized video gaming, with players from all over the world going head-to-head.
Don McGuire, Qualcomm's chief marketing officer, says with 500 million fans, it's the fastest growing sport in the world. But what many may not know is that Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, about the size of a fingernail, powers the experience in many devices, including a large number of mobile phones, mostly Android.
On Tuesday, the company took a step to spread the word about the impact of its technology.
"We've done the platform piece, we've enabled mobile gaming and mobile Esports around the world for years," McGuire said. "Now we're taking that background, that prowess and that competency, and we're bringing it smack dab in the middle of the Esports arena."
Qualcomm and ESL are launching the Snapdragon Pro Series, hosting mobile gaming tournaments in multiple continents with what's estimated to be a $2 million dollars prize pot. Players at all skill levels (Open, Challenge and Masters) will use Snapdragon powered devices with advanced gaming optimizations, graphics, and high speed connectivity -- which they can carry with them in their pockets.
In the end, using the technology could also convince them to make sure their next phone has the Snapdragon chip.
The series kicks off in April, with games yet to be announced.