Activision Blizzard comes back to the ESA

Activision Blizzard and online game company Tencent have joined the Entertainment Software Association, the lobbying group representing the video game industry, the ESA said Monday. Activision Blizzard’s return is notable -- Activision dropped its ESA membership in 2008, along with Blizzard parent Vivendi Games, amid the two companies’ fresh merger. At the time, Call of Duty publisher Activision didn’t give a reason for leaving the ESA, which also runs the annual E3 video game expo in L.A. The ESA trade group advocates for the game industry, tackling issues such as First Amendment and intellectual property rights on federal and state levels. Having Tencent join the ESA is also notable -- the company is headquartered in China, where it has a major presence, providing games and other online services. The company invested in Unreal Engine developer Epic Games last year, and purchased a majority stake in League of Legends house Riot Games in 2011.