Blizzard quadruples Hearthstone World Championship prize pool

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

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.

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.