How big was the explosion? We’ve compiled a two-part review of the year to assess the state of the industry...
In the first half of our review of 2015, we looked at the defining games, teams and players of eSports.
There were great titles, upsets and heroes, but what of the industry in general and just how big was that eSports explosion in 2015?
First up, let’s look at the indisputable main pillar of eSports: the tournaments.
Tournaments
This year saw eSports further grow in regards to the sheer size of its tournaments.
The truly headline-grabbing tournament of the year was, as we mentioned previously, the fifth iteration of the Dota2 event, The International – not least because of its record-breaking prize pool.
With more than $18m in total up for grabs, it was by far the most amount of money invested in an eSports tournament in history. The winners, Evil Geniuses, walked away with a cool $6m.
It is also a testament to the rising popularity of eSports that a venue with a capacity of 17,000 could sell out in less than five minutes.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has also had a year of hotly-anticipated tournaments. In fact, CS:GO peaked this summer, tournaments-wise, with the showdown in Cologne and its brilliant viewing figures.
However, after a sharp downturn in viewings at DreamHack Cluj-Napoca two months later following months of sizable numbers increases previously, some spectators are wondering if CS:GO will start to decline.
Ultimately, there are lots of theories as to why the Cluj-Napoca tournament didn’t perform as well as Cologne, but it is too early to spot a trend.
It was still a highly successful tournament and there is no reason to worry about the state of CS:GO just yet, especially after such a strong year.
What can definitely be said about Cluj-Napoca is that it showcased the drama of eSports, with some major upsets: Fnatic finishing outside the top four and SoloMid, the favourites, actually coming second-last.
In fact, tournament drama is a really crucial component of eSports and the World Championship for LoL months earlier played out in eerily similar fashion.
Europeans were dismayed at the all-Korean final, with SK Telecom T1 beating KOO Tigers taking the trophy. Team SoloMid departed far too early and Fnatic and Origen were knocked out in the semi-finals, dashing Europeans’ hopes and stumping the pundits.
Industry
The seemingly-unstoppable growth of eSports is a testament to the strength and resilience of the industry and there are signs that it is finally becoming even more mainstream.
For one, the company that owns ESL was acquired by a conventional media company, the Modern Times Group, for $86m. MTG then decided to double down on eSports, bagging themselves a 100 per cent share of DreamHack.
It is interesting that the business world is starting to recognise the pioneers of the eSports industry for what they are, and the acquisition of the eSport’s biggest company will surely aid industry stability and raise the profile and legitimacy of the sport.
There is also been more investment in eSports in the form of sponsorships – which make up about 80 per cent of industry revenue.
This has come from super brands such as Cola Cola, right up to more relevant sponsors, such as sports betting companies.
In fact, the increasing appearance of eSports on betting companies’ websites demonstrates the degree to which it is becoming entwined with other industries – with Betway actually leading the charge.
We also saw leaps into the mainstream in the way that eSports is consumed, with the BBC – the world’s largest broadcaster – getting in on the action.
The LoL World Championships were streamed live online to BBC Three, so it surely can’t be too long until we see all the headshots, ganks and upsets on the telly.
From the number of games being played, to the variety of businesses taking an interest, it is clear that eSports is diversifying.
This can only be good in making the industry more resilient and more enjoyable. The audience is becoming increasingly broad, and tournaments even more sophisticated.
But, in the end, everything boils down to the quality of the players, and this year has seen some riveting action from world-class teams.
In short, next year is shaping up to be even more exhilarating than this one.
The conclusion? Don’t go anywhere – eSports is just warming up.
