One of the most popular League of Legends content creators has found a new workplace, coming on board for the launch of an esports section by one of tech’s biggest brands.
Interviewer and writer Travis Gafford has joined Yahoo, Inc. ahead of its esports coverage launch in the coming weeks, sources close to Gafford tell the Daily Dot. He accepted the offer several weeks ago, submitting his resignation to his former employer CBS Interactive—where he worked in its GameSpot division—on February 12.
As part of his resignation Gafford made a goodbye video compilation of his interview work over the past few years. He has become an integral part of the League of Legends community as a personality, interviewing many professional players and hosting several talk shows.
Gafford isn’t the only one making the move to Yahoo. The company has heavy investment planned for esports, signing a handful of writers and editing staff to six-month contracts ahead of the launch. It has plans to cover multiple games including League, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Heroes of the Storm, and more.
Yahoo is not the first major media company to launch an esports section in 2016. In January, sports media giant ESPN launched its section, hiring former Azubu managing editor Darin Kwilinski to lead the charge, along with former CBS Interactive journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau, and former theScoreeSports feature writer Tyler “Fionn” Erzberger.
Yahoo hiring Gafford is likely an attempt to legitimize itself in the field, but also due to the popularity and consistency of his work at the League Championship Series (LCS) in North America. Gafford has been a resident interviewer since the series launch. Before that he worked with Major League Gaming.
