eSports is the name given to a subculture of gaming where professionals battle it out to win competitions, sometimes taking home thousands or millions of pounds. It has created special professional gaming teams, eSports scholarships with professional clubs and even packed-out arenas where the action unfolds and fans watch like they do at a baseball game or soccer match.
As this genre grows into a super spectacle with stadiums, fans and celebrity-like players, related brands are looking to jump in on the market and capitalise.
How Much Is eSports Growing?
There are lists of statistics that show how popular this activity has become and where most fans are located. But a small group of statistics published by Statista illustrate the growth of eSports perfectly.
The worldwide revenue of eSports was an impressive 776 million dollars in 2018. By 2020, global revenue had increased dramatically to over 950 million dollars. If the trend continues, which it could even excel, the industry will create over 1.5 billion dollars by 2023.
The Consequence of Fast Growth
When an industry like tis moves fast, it is natural that it will drive interest from companies in related sectors and from other businesses within online gaming. It is a lucrative area that many brands are looking to earn a slice of. Read on to learn about three brands targeting eSports as a way of growing and becoming more successful.
3 Big Brands Joining the Movement
1. Entain (PartyCasino)
According to a source at popular casino site PartyCasino, they are looking at investing in eSports as a bookmaker. A spokesperson said ‘following on from the success of our live casino games and virtual sports; this seems like a promising opportunity. With some of our biggest wins coming from the launch of Evolution Gaming’s Crazy Time Casino Game on our sites, it makes sense to continue to diversify our offering to keep up with what players want.’ And it appears that gamblers now wish to bet on eSports competitions too!
2. Red Bull
Red Bull have been in and around the sport for a long time since 2008 to be exact. But the brand is pumping more investment into this niche of gaming in 2020 and beyond because of its successful early years. Red Bull now sponsor big eSports competitions and even some players and teams.
3. Data Companies (Multiple)
When the difference between winning and losing an eSports game is milliseconds, players want the advantage. One way of getting the edge is by analysing scores of data on competitors about how they move and what they tend to do in different situations. Multiple data handling companies are now catering to this demand by acquiring data from matches and selling it on.
How Can You Join the Industry?
If you are not a business but also see the growing potential of the industry, there are possibilities for you to join in to. Some eSports teams and related companies are floating on the stock exchange and could be worth your investment.
