A video game competition sponsored by Weedmaps

Weedmaps, the «Yellow Pages» of weed, is now turning its attention to an activity that’s a big hit with stoners: video games.

The California-based company will sponsor Smash Summit 3, a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament taking place November 3–6 in Los Angeles. The Smash Summit is one of the largest esports tournaments of its kind, bringing together the best players currently competing in this Nintendo franchise.

The partnership between Weedmaps and the Smash Summit was generally well received, even though the event organizers as reported by Kotaku that «a small group of fans has made it clear that they do not support the app.» The main criticism is the association between a medical cannabis company and a game kid-friendly. Some fans, however, were pretty excited to see two of their favorite things working together.

Weedmaps is seeking to become more involved in esports competitions, notably by hiring an Esports Director, Cody Dragon, a former professional Halo player. The company has already sponsored a Halo tournament in Florida and has set up a «Weedmaps Gaming House» in California where players can train on Halo 5.

«There are certain benefits to combining medical cannabis with competitive video gaming,» Cody Dragon said in an interview with Yahoo. «The mind is our tool here—the muscle we use. We believe cannabis can help with relaxation and improve concentration while gaming, so we see it as a natural fit.».

In France, esports is gradually gaining traction. The ESWC has just been acquired by Webedia, France’s Internet giant, which will also be supporting PSG’s esports team following its acquisitions of Millenium, jeuxvideo.com, and Bang Bang Management. Vivendi is also taking a keen interest in the sector and has entered into a partnership with ESL.

According to the latest figures, approximately 850,000 French players compete in tournaments, attracting more than 4.5 million spectators.