theScore launches its eSports news app to iOS

Canadian sports news media company theScore has launched a new mobile app to keep fans abreast of the latest eSports news.

The iOS release follows the launch of a version for Android devices last month. The service gives users updates on live scoring and coverage of League of Legends, Dota 2, CS:GO, Call of Duty, StarCraft 2 and Hearthstone; however, as of its recent launch, live score updates are currently only active for League of Legends, with plans to introduce the additional titles soon.

theScore eSports will also offer stats, push alerts and links to video highlights and streams, and will be following the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in both the League of Legends and StarCraft 2 tournaments taking place in Poland until March 15.

"In our view, e-sports should be treated as a fully fledged sport," said John Levy, founder and CEO of theScore in a statement announcing the new app.

That eSports is actually a "sport" is an idea that was challenged by ESPN boss John Skipper last year.

"It's not a sport — it's a competition. Chess is a competition. Checkers is a competition," Skipper said at the Code/Media Series: New York conference. Skipper had been asked to comment on Amazon's $1 billion acquisition of Twitch.

This has become a topic of much debate for the last few years as eSports has continued to gain in popularity and resources. For more on this topic, check out our report on whether eSports need to establish ties with the likes of ESPN before the mainstream accepts it.