Blizzard quadruples Hearthstone World Championship prize pool

The prize pool at next year's Hearthstone World Championship, which sees 16 players compete to become world champion, has been increased to $1 million. 

By contrast, the 2015 tournament, held at BlizzCon, saw $250,000 shared amongst its 16 competitors. 

As well as bolstering the overall prize pool, Blizzard will also be dishing out $100,000 at each of its nine Season Championship events in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Activision Blizzard's commitment to eSports is becoming increasingly apparent, and it was only back in October that the company opened a new competitive gaming division helmed by former ESPN and NFL Network CEO, Steve Bornstein, 

Bornstein, who described eSports as "tremendous growth areas for this nascent industry" was joined by Major League Gaming co-founder Mike Sepso, who was named senior vice president.