For a while, esports were a rather free-for-all activities. Then, developers such as Valve and Riot Games came in and said – wait, can’t we re-imagine the whole thing and just create leagues and structures that will allow us to generate the most out of the huge viewership interest in the activity.
This was admittedly first tried with the Overwatch League (OWL) and has now been extended to Call of Duty in the CWL. Meanwhile, other mainstream competitive games, such as League of Legends and Dota 2 have relied on competitive seasons.
Dota 2, though, has foregone the idea of a league structure and runs a series of global events – which sometimes creates bellyaches for players who are barred from travelling over VISA issues. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, another game by the same developer is also run internationally.
Franchising and Big Tournaments
Yet, leagues may indeed hold the answer for increased viewership. Dota 2 has awesome viewership numbers, but not as quite high as League of Legends. Then again, the game really isn’t falling behind Overwatch or Call of Duty all things considered.
All that this says is that there are multiple ways to monetize on esports viewership. Franchising, though, seems the safest – if done right. Franchising has definitely had success in attracting high-profile car manufacturers as sponsors and even beverage makers. All that this has to say is that there are a lot of people out there who believe in the potential of esports.
Beating the Bookies – A No-brainer for Esports Fans
Esports bookies also thought that they can beat esports fans, but they have been proven wrong. Gamers are true fans and they play and love the games they participate in as a hive mind. Therefore, many bookies that have tried to guess outcome of certain games better than gamers themselves have found themselves on the rocks – seems to serve them right!
Meanwhile, a lot of gamers have been betting successfully on the outcome of video games. Not only that, but some of the most tech-savvy ones have even been using bitcoin betting to achieve better anonymity and player security.
All things considered, betting is a great way to monetize on esports. And the best part is – it favors the players!
Final Words
As things stand, esports have a fantastic potential. Newzoo has predicted that the industry will surpass $1 billion in net value this year, making it one of the largest gaming industries out there. Not only that, but more leagues and LAN events will begin to appear.
Content creators have also been able to ride the wave of popularity. Personalities such as Ninja and DrLupo are making millions out of streaming quality content. Esports entertainment has become a huge opportunity for talented players and personalities.
Ninja was reportedly paid $1 million to stream Apex Legends – a popular battle royale game – the day it was released, which gave the game a fantastic start. Franchising, in the meantime, promises to make it possible to attract big investors similar to mainstream competitions.