Michigan adds esports minor following $4 million gift from Activision Blizzard CEO

The minor should be available by 2022.

Image via Activision Blizzard

If you want to go to college for esports, you might want to consider the University of Michigan. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has donated $4 million to the university that’s intended to be used to create an esports minor, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press.

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Kotick is a UM alumni.

The minor will be available for students sometime during 2022, according to the report. “Esports is poised for explosive growth, and I am thrilled to join the University of Michigan to develop a program that will cultivate the talent to meet the needs of this complex and evolving industry,” Kotick said in a statement to the Free Press.

The curriculum is still in development and will reportedly teach students about the differences between traditional sports and esports, as well as highlight the symbiotic relationship between the gaming industry at large and the esports industry.

Related: Activision Blizzard CEO reportedly set to earn nearly $200 million in bonuses despite recent layoffs

Activision Blizzard recently laid off 190 employees, 50 of which worked in the esports division of the company across its flagship, franchised esports leagues—the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League. The CDL is set to return to LAN competitions at some point this year as COVID-19 vaccinations become more readily available for Americans.

There are around a half-dozen existing courses that will fit into the new minor’s curriculum, according to the report.

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Hunter Cooke
Investigative Unit. Rainbow Six Siege, VALORANT.