All John Smedley’s pre-launch talk of an eSports focus for Planetside 2 seems to have finally born fruit. Sony Online Entertainment has announced a partnership with Major League Gaming, one of the US’s most prominent eSports organisations, to add the MMOFPS to the latter’s 2013 roster. The initial deal between the two spans one year, but the Planetside 2 team promises that its work with MLG over the next few months will help lay the foundations for “a long-term eSports initiative”.

The deal will spawn streams and other forms of online programming, online competition via MLG’s GameBattles, and Planetside 2 as part of events such as the upcoming Winter Championship in Dalas in March, the first event in MLG’s 2013 Pro Circuit.

The partnership should work well for the MMO, keeping the community healthy by attracting new players. Not many of us make the jump to pro gaming, but the existence of local Planetside 2 servers mean you have little excuse for not sharpening your skills. Should an Aussie tournament crop up, I expect to see some of you on the front lines for the Republic/Conglomerate/Sovereignty [delete as appropriate].

Source: Press release

While there’s always a bit of drama and intrigue in the world of eSports, this week’s column locked itself in when the League of Legends divisions for Team Dignitas and Curse NA delivered the journalist’s equivalent of a grubber outside off-stump with their stunning performance in Raleigh.

Why is this important? Major League Gaming awarded the pair the dubious honour of being the first winners and runners-up in competitive gaming to be disqualified for collusion…

And on the subject of tournaments, Riot’s unstoppable MOBA League of Legends is the subject of Major League Gaming’s attention this weekend. There’s $10,000 up for grabs in the Summer League of Legends Arena in New York, but unfortunately most of it takes place during prime sleeping time for Aussies. If you are up burning the midnight oil, matches resume at midnight, with the final scheduled for 7:00AM AEST – just the ticket for a bit of pre-office viewing. Unfortunately, the Arenas are part of the MLG’s ongoing efforts to becoming financially sustainable, so video on demand is reserved for premium users. Should you be so fortunate or have no commitments tomorrow which can’t be slept through, tune in here.

Source: VG247