New Esports League to Feature Only Sports Teams to Debut Next Year

A new esports league designed exclusively for established sports franchises will be making its debut in 2019. Founded by Japanese entertainment company Akatsuki, the League of Professional Esports looks to set up a new esports league for sports brands to compete in, with big names like FC Barcelona, Ajax, and Tokyo Verdy already attached to the project.

The League of Professional Esports goal is to build an esports league that “fosters mutual competition at the professional level between leading sports clubs while emphasizing core values of gender equality, inclusion, transparency and professionalism. The LPE will not accept games with graphic violence, instead focusing on wholesome, positive games to foster a league where players and fans can get excited for the enjoyment of the games.”

Additionally, the LPE also outlines three core tenets that they are aiming to incorporate into the competition:

Gender Equality and Inclusion – Gaming is something that can be enjoyed by people regardless of nationality, gender, age, region, and athletic ability. The LPE is a global league not limited to any specific area, and will respect the equality and diversity of eSports players, including promoting active participation of women on teams.

Transparency – The LPE will have an independent referee committee, and will operate to the highest standards of transparency.

Professionalism – Professional athletes in and out of the game can affect society with their remarks and behavior. The LPE integrates the traditions and development systems unique to professional sports teams into esports to share the responsibility of developing professional e-sports players.

We don’t yet know what games will be present in the LPE, however their decision to not allow games with graphic violence does rule out quite a few established games, such as shooters like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Call of Duty. With the teams themselves being off-shoots from established sports franchises, it’s possible that the games will have a heavy focus on sports and the like. For more information on the LPE, check out their press release, here.