Amazon is embracing esports.

On December 2, the online retailer, along with eSports Productions, hosted a casual gaming competition, which live-streamed on Twitch. The occasion marked Amazon’s inaugural foray as tournament host.

The Champions of Fire Invitational: Amazon Esports Casual Gaming Event

Sixteen game streaming celebrities gathered in Vegas for The Champions of Fire Invitational. With $100,000 up for grabs, participants battled in single elimination rounds of Disney Crossy Road, Pac-Man 256, Bloons TD Battles, 8 Ball Pool, and Fruit Ninja.

At Champions, “casual mobile games” took center stage. Aaron Rubenson, director of Amazon’s Appstore, explained: “Competitive video gaming has seen huge growth, and we see tremendous customer value in expanding the tournament experience to include the casual mobile games played by millions of people today. The Champions of Fire Invitational will see some of the top gaming pros square off in the same fun games our customers can download and enjoy today from the Amazon Appstore.”

Who won the Amazon esports tournament? Find out on the highlights show, coming to a cable station near you, tonight, December 12th.

Amazon Esports Involvement On The Rise

In 2014, Amazon first signaled serious interest in esports by plunking down nearly $1 billion for the online gaming platform, Twitch.

In August 2016, via Twitch, Amazon acquired Curse, a gaming resource platform.

Breakaway — Amazon Game Studio’s first development venture that includes betting features and “deep Twitch integration” — hit digital shelves In September 2016.

Obvious acquisition is obvious: Amazon is making sure its esports foot hole is secure. Smart.

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Kelly / Warner Law is a boutique law firm that maintains an esports division. Two of our attorneys work with professional gamers on contract negotiations, sponsorship vetting, team disputes and tournament logistics issues.

Click here to read more about the firm; head here for more esports blog posts and legal information.