The popularity of eSports has grown remarkably last year when almost the whole world went into lockdown. The crisis shifted everyone’s attention to the digital world which has marked the rise of online gaming, especially eSports. FortuneZ has seen some of the consistent trends in the online competitive gaming community that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in the years to come.
FortuneZ is a renowned global media publication that covers the latest news in the world of iGaming, cryptocurrency, eSports, and blockchain projects. Users can follow them on social media including Facebook and Instagram. They also share a lot of useful information on their LinkedIn and Twitter feed. The company has recently spotted a lot of trends in the eSports industry that will likely continue in the coming years.
Last year, arenas and stadiums around the world were shut down due to the pandemic. Hence, a lot of people found themselves increasingly interested in playing video games to entertain themselves and to connect with others. Some even found themselves forming teams and entering leagues to compete against each other in tournaments involving games like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, and League of Legends.
In the last couple of years, the rise in popularity of eSports has sparked new interest in gaming as viewership, coverage, and prize money have significantly risen. In fact, eSports has been deemed as one of the fastest-growing professional sports in the globe. The industry is rapidly expanding due to new technological advancements. Many analysts predict that the value of the eSports industry will grow over 70 percent in the next three years.
“One reason why the industry’s growth is tremendous is because of how inclusive it is.” said Nadiia Osmokesku, editor of FortuneZ. Ms. Osmokesku was formerly journalist at other media publications – Forklog, and Blockspoint, and was the editor at Pushkinska.  “This has led FortuneZ to arrive at the conclusion that the players of eSports will favor diversification. The virtual world is a place where people can form alliances despite the differences in their race, nationality, and gender. Companies will also develop more games that promote diversity by adding more varied characters that players can relate to.”
The rise in revenue will also continue to be a key aspect of the growth of eSports in the next five years. The engagement rate in the industry has been steep due to the fact that more and more people are connected virtually after being restricted from going outdoors. The growth of eSports is expected to continue to increase even after lockdown restrictions ease.
More games will emerge in the following years as more and more gamers enjoy the virtual world and connecting with people online. Also, streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube will have increased viewership. More and more people from the younger generation will opt for games over television and other forms of entertainment.
In the year 2019, it was estimated that there were around 443 million audiences for eSports. In 2020, this number has risen to 496 million viewers. Analysts have predicted that by 2023, the viewership will jump by another 10.4 percent. It is estimated that 646 million people will be interested in watching eSports on various platforms. However, since this prediction was made before the pandemic lockdown, analysts expect the real growth to be a lot higher than expected.
