The entire E-sports industry is misunderstood by most. In fact, up until 2015, I not only misunderstood how someone could enjoy watching people play video games but I openly mocked the industry. “Who does that?” I would question. It’s not even a real sport! It just didn’t add up in my mind. At that point, I didn’t even know that “LOL” was the abbreviated term for “League of Legends.”
That was until my group of three decided to research and present the business side of E-Sports and the future of branding and entertainment at the University of Oregon 5 years ago. I argued against the decision, pushing for a presentation on big brands in College Football or the future of the NBA. Little did I know, this informal group project turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Here’s that poorly put together yet vividly insightful deck that provided a baseline for my future curiosity: League of Legends Presentation - 2015.
The more I research, the more fascinated I become. NBA teams started investing and buying E-Sports teams. Amazon bought Twitch. Huge amounts of money started to move towards research and development within several large corporations like Google, Intel and Microsoft. Brands started paying attention to this extremely niche but passionate market. Cue the fireworks. The puzzle pieces began to put themselves together. This is real. Audience growth is exploding. Revenue growth is off the charts. Cash prizes for E-Sports tournaments are increased tenfold YOY. Viewership is sustaining higher than usual traffic for longer amounts of time. With these assets, popular streamers had more options to get in front of a large audience. It blew my mind that more people watched the 2015 League of Legends Championship than the 2016 NCAA Championship Final, the 2016 World Series, and the 2016 NBA Finals Average. Why wasn’t it getting the attention it deserved? One word: Stigma. This industry is misunderstood.
Then, on July 25th, 2017, Fortnite was released. Everything that built the E-Sports industry up to this point gave Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, a platform to explode onto the scene. Once streamers saw strong viewership, the competitive scene gained momentum quickly. This momentum carried sponsorship revenue, brand deals, and massive investments across the E-Sports world.
Since I’ve been following this industry since 2015, I can see how quickly the industry changes with current cultural trends and technology breakthroughs. What’s incredibly fascinating to me is how Fortnite is positioning itself in 2020. You see, as members of the gaming community begin to move to other flashier, newer, more popular games, Epic understands that it’s essential to adapt and shift strategy to the current trends. In 2020, Fortnite isn’t just a game; it’s an entertainment platform. They’re giving us examples of what the future of entertainment may look like. Here are just a few examples, with data to back it up:
Feb 2, 2019: Marshmellow In-Game Virtual Concert (EDM DJ). This averaged 10.7 Concurrent Attendees in-game worldwide. This number doesn’t even include the 30 million+ Youtube views, people watching on streaming platforms like Twitch, Mixer, or social media mentions.
April 27, 2020: Travis Scott In-Game Virtual Concert (Rapper). This averaged 12.3 Concurrent Attendees in-game worldwide. Again, this doesn’t include Youtube views or people watching on streaming platforms like Twitch or Mixer. It’s important to note that this is during COVID-19, which has seen an increase in E-Sports viewership around the globe. Good timing.
August 2019: Fortnite World Cup. Best players around the world competed. Sold out Arthur Ashe Stadium (19k people). $30 million prize pool. 2.3 million viewers at peak on their official live-feed (not including social media or streaming platforms. Qualifiers saw huge viewership numbers throughout Summer 2019. This was the most-watched gaming event EVER in the United States.
October 13th, 2019: Black-Hole Event: “most viewed gaming event on Twitter EVER, with 50.7 million minutes watched and 42.8 million views.” Epic says it peaked at 1.4 million concurrent viewers. These numbers don’t include any other platforms.
Entertainment is the name of the game, and Epic Games has transformed Fortnite into a cultural powerhouse. What does the future hold? Are we going to watch live movie premiers in-game? Maybe a comedy show? Something the world has never seen before? This is why I find this industry so fascinating. What’s next? With the technology we have available and the resources to make magic happen, who freaking knows. The one thing I do know: E-Sports will continue to grow monumentally and I want to be a part of the growth.
Personal Note:
When I tell people I occasionally watch E-Sports, this is the most common question I hear:
Why would anyone watch other people play video games if you could just play them yourself?”
Fair question. On the surface it makes total sense. If I wanted to play video games, why don’t I just pick up the controller and begin? Well, It’s not as fun. First off, I’m addicted to this industry from a business perspective. I see the wild potential in the United States and do everything in my power to understand where the future of this industry is moving. Because one day, I could see myself being a leader in this industry. But in my research, I got hooked myself. I’m fascinated with the technical play of professional gamers. I’m aware of the strategy and understand the mental toughness it takes to win at the top level. I’m obsessed with trying to out-think the best players in the world at a game I would try and fail should I attempt myself. I also enjoy the sense of community certain streamers provide. You can truly get to know someone just by watching them interact with their community. It’s similar to the character development in a TV show or a movie, except it’s a real person. You begin to learn about their life and get invested in their well-being. Now, when large tournaments occur, you have certain people to cheer on and hope they win it all. It’s a fun time, believe it or not.