If you missed the Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight last night, you didn't miss much. Everything about the fight, from Round 1 to Round 12, was as predictable as you could ever imagine. For many it wasn't the battle of the ages that it was hyped to be.
Although the fight is being considered a disappointment for many, there was some video game representation that was nice to see, nothing better than Pacquiao's team staff shirt which bore the tile Heroes of the Storm on it. Seen above, it wasn't particularly obvious, and probably got a few people to do a web search for 'Heroes of the Storm', precisely what Blizzard was aiming for.
This might not seem like a big deal to some, but last night's bout had more viewers than any boxing match in the history of the sport, with a whopping $300 million prize purse at stake. Many eyes were watching the battle, including just about every Filipino on the planet. Filipinos have a particular affinity for MOBAs, making them a major target demographic for Blizzard.
Which leads me to my next point. Blizzard is doing an excellent job of marketing Heroes of the Storm. As much as last weekend's Heroes of the Dorm tournament's exclusivity on ESPN2 wasn't in the best interest of gamers, it certainly pushed MOBAs into a spotlight they have largely ignored: the non-gamer crowd. It's a benefit of Heroes of the Storms' more approachable design which makes it a recommendable choice for the average person.
Heroes of the Storm is currently in Closed Beta, with Open Beta planned for May 19th. On June 2nd it will hit final release.
