eSports

The Impact of Esports on the Games Industry 2023

Published

11 months ago

June 15, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The impressive rise of competitive gaming since the outset of 2020 has caught many among the technology press by surprise – though this is not to say that it was not to be expected. Over the past 5 years, Google Trends has identified a 500% increase in search terms pertaining to esports.

Elsewhere, player numbers for legacy esports have been trending towards all-time highs since the mid-point of the previous decade, and sales of gaming laptops have similarly enjoyed their best sales period in many years.

The core contributing factors behind the esports surge of the 2020s are many and varied, though the fact that the maturing scene was perfectly positioned to benefit from the economic disruptions that hampered the propagation of its physical sporting counterparts is seen as the chief cause. Irrespective of this, esports was always going to break into the mainstream at some stage in the 2020s, and this merely accelerated the process.

Now in 2023, competitive gaming continues to grow at a phenomenal pace, and analysts project that it should break $3 billion in annual revenues by 2027 – not bad for a market that was scarcely capable of maintaining a mere 300 million back in 2015. This enormous impact is now coming to influence all aspects of the games industry today, as we shall explore below.

Increased Interest in Online Games

The growing popularity of esports is having a knock-on effect for all forms of online gaming, even those that do not functionally incorporate competitive multiplayer elements into their design.

At present, the most popular format of online game played in the world today is that of online slots. Leading platforms furnishing gamers with these titles, such as VegasSlotsOnline, which features over 5000 individual titles including one of the largest online repositories of free slots available anywhere – are likely to absorb the influence of esports before long. By incorporating leaderboards, competitive play and even importing game mechanics from popular esports genres like the MOBA and battle royale, slots may well find themselves at the vanguard of a pivot towards converging with the competitive gaming market.

In general, the coming years will likely see developers seek to incorporate esports elements into game design across the wider online marketplace to leverage the benefits of the esports boom.

Furthering the Public Validation of Gaming

No small part of the modern games industry’s success can be put down to the fact that those in the crucial 18–35-year-old professional spending category grew up on home games consoles. They thus lack any of the hang-ups of prior generations around this, once new, media format. A young adult today is as likely to buy a new games console as they would have a hi-fi system or DVD player in the late 90s, and this has done much to validate the industry in the general public’s perception.

Though the undeniable fact is that the cultural conversation surrounding gaming still tends to denigrate it. After all, while millions of people around the world eagerly track which films do well during awards season, very little ink has been spilled in comment on the runaway success of recent games like God of War Ragnarök or Elden Ring.

Esports will likely help the ongoing validation of the industry, as professional gaming athletes acquire widespread recognition for their considerable skill and talent. As the world of esports further integrates itself into the wider sporting landscape, those who care to praise the sporting prowess of quarterback Tom Brady may become increasingly likely to recognise, support and champion the careers of prominent gamers such as Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyljev.

Boosting the Development of AR and VR

Augment and virtual reality have until recently been something of a white elephant for the games industry. The sophistication and potential of such technologies to revolutionise the way we play and watch games is unprecedented, but the lack of widespread development and the prohibitive cost of dedicated VR hardware has thus far limited its adoption.

Esports may well catalyse the uptake of these technologies, as the potential for ‘floating camera’ spectatorship using VR could totally alter the way esports matches and streams are broadcast. Likewise, should a new generation of esports adopt these technologies, this should massively increase public appetite for proprietary hardware capable of delivering this experience, and may bring overall costs down.

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eSports

North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes

Published

3 days ago

April 24, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.

Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.

North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”

“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.

The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.

NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.

“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”

“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”

eSports

GIANTX Promotes LVP Superliga Toplaner Th3Antonio to the League of Legends EMEA Championship Roster

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Today, GIANTX is excited to announce an update to its LEC competitive roster. Antonio”Th3Antonio” Espinosa Bejarano is recognised as one of the most successful LVP Superliga players in the history of GIANTX, and he has now reached a pivotal moment in his career to compete in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).

The LEC is the most important League of Legends competition in Europe and one of the most relevant in the international esports scene. The Barcelona-born ‘toplaner’ will be part of the lineup kicking off the LEC Summer split season in Berlin, which starts in June. As the community quotes; ‘Th3LEC’ is finally a reality.

Commenting on his new role, Th3Antonio said:

“This is the dream I’ve been working towards since I entered esports. I always wanted to compete at the highest level to face the best, and finally, I have this opportunity. I never stopped striving, and thanks to that and the work we’ve done together with all my teammates, we’ve achieved great things in Spain, but the LEC has always been my ultimate goal. Going to the LEC with my lifelong club, GIANTX, is a double dream. Everyone knows what GIANTX means to me”.

Sports Director at GIANTX, David Alonso, added:

“Th3Antonio deserves this opportunity, both in recognition of the level he’s at and all the work he has put in over the past few years. We are convinced of this decision and that he will give everything to succeed in the LEC. He has always been characterised by sacrificing himself for others, and lately, he has taken a step forward by leading in crucial moments, a clear sign of his maturity as a player”.

Having joined at a young age in 2017, Antonio ‘Th3Antonio’ Espinosa has become one of the most decorated players of the LVP Superliga and of GIANTX history. During his time with the team, he has won four Superliga titles, two Iberian Cups, one Copa, and has reached an EMEA Masters final, as well as other national competitions.

The decision to promote Th3Antonio reflects GIANTX’s need to implement changes following the results of the LEC Winter and Spring split seasons. In both splits, the team fell short in the first round of playoffs. The Summer split season is the main shot at Worlds for all teams, and the aim of the club was to make the necessary changes to achieve this goal. After a period of reflection and numerous trials, Th3Antonio has been chosen for the toplaner position.

eSports

L&G esports team founded by Alona Shevtsova won the national Dragon EC Cup tournament

Published

4 days ago

April 24, 2024

Zoltan Tundik

Four teams competed in the tournament's final: Lazer Cats, L&G, which received a direct invitation to the final stage, EsportsBattle, and ThunderFlash, which had open qualifiers.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Ukrainian esports team L&G won the Dragon EC Cup tournament, held on the 20th of April by Dragon Esports Club. Four teams competed in the tournament’s final: Lazer Cats, L&G, which received a direct invitation to the final stage, EsportsBattle, and ThunderFlash, which had open qualifiers. During the Grand Final, the L&G team competed with Lazer Cats on Mirage, Anubis, and Vertigo maps.

“This victory is a testament to the exceptional talent and commitment of our players, as well as the collective effort of our coaching staff and support personnel,” said Alona Shevtsova, founder of L&G Esports. “We are immensely proud of their accomplishments and grateful for the unwavering support of our fans.”

L&G is among the top 5 Ukrainian teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It was founded in 2021. The previous name was Leogaming, and it was created on the initiative of the famous Alona Shevtsova from the fintech sector.

The team began competing in top tournaments and almost immediately made it to the Advanced division of the ESEA League Europe competition. The team also participated in and took prizes in European tournaments such as the SCL League, WhiteBit Crypto Open, Phoenix League, and local competitions. The team players are marat2k, r0ublE, kr1vda, kL1o, OneUn1que, rji (coach).

The winners received a 50,000 UAH prize. Dragon Esports Club also prepared a 15-skin giveaway for the broadcast’s viewers.

It is worth mentioning that the L&G team created its merch items, which are available for order worldwide. To get more information about the team, visit the L&G Instagram page, Twitch, or Telegram Channel.