eSports

The Impact of Esports on the Games Industry 2023

Published

1 year 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

Record Number of Host City Applications for IESF’s Events

Published

6 hours ago

October 4, 2024

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The International Esports Federation (IESF) is pleased to announce the conclusion of the bidding process for hosting the 2025 and 2026 IESF Events – the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. For the first time in our history, we have received a record number of applications, with over 30 cities from across all continents submitting their bids to host our signature Esports events.

The increased interest in hosting IESF events reflects the expansion of the Esports community and the impact these tournaments have had on the intern ational esports scene. From Europe to Asia & Oceania, Africa to the Americas, cities are making significant efforts to develop their local Esports ecosystems while also presenting their capability to host nations from around the world. The opportunity to serve as the home of Esports for a year is seen as a meaningful step forward, with long-lasting benefits in both the local and international growth of Esports.

“Over the last five years, IESF events have grown rapidly, and so has the excitement around hosting one of the world’s biggest esports events. IESF events are truly one-of-a-kind and bring huge value to our host nations – or as we like to call them, the “Esports capital of the world.’ It’s amazing to see this growing interest, and we can’t wait to continue bringing the global Esports community together through these incredible events.”- stated Boban Totovski, the General Secretary of IESF.

We are now thoroughly reviewing the applications to determine which cities meet our criteria and requirements and align with IESF’s core mission of developing Esports in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

IESF is dedicated to ensuring that every event we host leaves a meaningful and lasting impact. The upcoming selection of our host cities will shape the future of many Esports communities across the globe and redefine the Esports landscape by supporting new emerging regions and strengthening the existing ones.

eSports

The legends return! GG.BET is hosting a second long-awaited battle between NAVI and Team Vitality in Match of LeGGends: Double Down

Published

22 hours ago

October 3, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

On October 5, at 19:00 EEST, NAVI and Team Vitality will go head-to-head again in an epic Counter-Strike 2 show match organized by betting brand GG.BET. In Match of LeGGends: Double Down, viewers can expect unique showdown formats and a special bonus with promo code NAVITALITY.

The top two teams in the world will battle it out in this show match. Match of LeGGends: Double Down will see Team Vitality, who were IEM Cologne 2024 champions, and NAVI, who won gold this year at the PGL Major Copenhagen, EWC and ESL Pro League S20, go head-to-head. Viewers can also expect a nail-biting encounter between two rival MVPs — Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and Justinas “jL” Lekavičius.

The show match will begin in a classic Standard format: the teams will play МR12 on the de_tuscan map. The second random map will be played in Arms Race Mode: gameplay will switch to Deathmatch mode, where it’s every man for himself. The main objective here is to achieve kills using various types of weapons and finish the game with a knife kill. The third randomly selected map will be played in MR12 format in Hostage Rescue mode: Counter Terrorists will be tasked with rescuing hostages, and Terrorists will try to stop them.

The show match is being organized by GG.BET, the official betting partner of esports team NAVI and Team Vitality’s CS2 roster. GG.BET hosted the first Match of LeGGends in July 2023, and the match racked up over 1 million views.

To celebrate Match of LeGGends: Double Down, GG.BET is offering an exclusive sportsbook and gifting users a bonus: a freebet worth up to 100 USD with promo code NAVITALITY.

Match of LeGGends: Double Down will be streamed in two languages. Watch the English-language stream on NAVI and Team Vitality’s official Twitch channels, and watch in Ukrainian on the Maincast Twitch channel.

Asia

Skyesports and Realme Conclude Realme Campus Gaming League in Chennai: National Collegiate Esports Tournament Sees More Than 10,000 Players Participate

Published

22 hours ago

October 3, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Skyesports, a premier global IP and community builder for gaming and esports, and Realme have wrapped up the Realme Campus Gaming League, a national collegiate esports tournament.

The Grand Finals took place at the SIGMA Auditorium, Sri Sairaam Engineering College, Chennai, and witnessed the top 16 college teams from across India compete in Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) to crown the champions.

Galactic Wolves emerged victorious, securing the title and taking home INR 200,000 from the event’s total prize pool of INR 400,000. The fight went down to the penultimate game, where Galactic Wolves secured a first-place finish to climb to the top of the overall standings.

The Realme Campus Gaming League was launched with a mission to empower college students across India and provide them with a platform to showcase their esports talents in BGMI. The tournament attracted record participation, with more than 2,700 teams from over 200 colleges nationwide vying for a spot in the Grand Finals. To ensure the representation of local talent, Skyesports also organized a local qualifier at the Sri Sairaam Engineering College, with two teams earning their place in the Finals.

Adding to the excitement, renowned gaming personalities Jonathan Gaming and Jelly graced the Grand Finals, interacting with participants and sharing valuable feedback. Jonathan Gaming, fresh from his third-place finish in the BGMI Pro Series (BMPS) 2024 with GodLIke Esports in Kochi, inspired the young competitors with his insights and experience.

Commenting on the tournament, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports, said, “Partnering with Realme for the Campus Gaming League has been an incredible experience, as they share our commitment to developing grassroots esports. This tournament was not only a thrilling spectacle for esports fans, but it also offered a platform for college students across India to showcase their talent. The high participation highlights the immense potential at the grassroots level and underscores the importance of fostering and nurturing this talent for the future of Indian esports.”

A Realme spokesperson said, “We are thrilled to support the burgeoning collegiate esports scene in India through the Realme Campus Gaming League. At the LAN Finals in Chennai, players competed in the Realme 13+ 5G which proved to be a formidable device for esports players and casual gamers alike. The event saw over 10,000 participants and garnered more than 250,000 views on social media, showcasing the immense interest and engagement in esports at the grassroots level.”

The Realme Campus Gaming League has set a new benchmark for collegiate esports in India, further cementing Skyesports’ and Realme’s commitment to supporting esports at all levels.