How Big Is The Esports Industry?

The Growth of Esports

The esports industry has experienced huge growth over the last 20 years, thanks in part to the dawn of the digital age and the changes that came along with it. The desire to engage in games and competitions has been around since the stone age. Nowadays it’s no different, but we’re living in a new kind of environment, which offers endless options. And one of these options is video games.

Since electronic sports are at the juncture between video games and sports, it was only a matter of time until someone came up with the brilliant idea of creating games meant to become esports and offer people the chance to fulfil their need to compete and express their combative spirit in this particular arena.

In the present, esports are hugely popular and will only get more popular as the years go by. The industry is attracting sponsors and talented people from dozens of disciplines and will surpass $1 billion in yearly revenues in 2021. Some of the biggest brands that have decided to join esports are PSG, Mercedes, Red Bull, Intel, Honda, Pepsi’s Mountain Dew, Coca-Cola, U.S. Air Force, The Kraft Group, Disney’s Marvel, etc.

Esports’ Variety

Another important thing about esports is the variety. Around 15 years ago, the industry was limited to a small number of RTS, FPS, fighting, and sports games. Nowadays there’s an abundance of titles that are backed up by serious companies with huge revenues. The communities that have formed around these titles range from millions, in the case of StarCraft 2, to over one hundred million people, in the case of League of Legends. This gives the industry a lot of stability.

Esports Is A Global Phenomenon

There are over 3 billion gamers in the world. And from casual gaming to competitive gaming there’s only one step. As a result, esports is a global phenomenon, in the sense that it’s not something specific to a particular country or even continent. You’ll find people interested in it almost everywhere you go.

Each esports title is quickly gaining new players and helps the industry grow. And keep in mind, these are still early days. The growth potential is at least several times bigger than what has been achieved so far.

Given the fact that electronic sports have proved to be fun not just to play, but also to watch, the industry is clearly not going to disappear any time soon. According to Newzoo, the leading provider of market intelligence in this space, esports’ audience grows at a rate of around 9% each year.