An Opportunity for Esports in 2021
With the complications for major sporting events throughout 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, there was a huge wave of new fans make their way over to the growing world of esports. Whilst there had been disruption to offline international events, many online events were able to go ahead without any trouble and had become a primary form of entertainment for many throughout the year. Although regular sporting events have come back, esports has continued to pull in growing numbers, and with more uncertainty looming in 2021, it could certainly be a great year of opportunity for the rising industry.
Growing familiarity – One of the bigger barriers to entry for newer viewers had typically been with a lack of familiarity in both games and how to approach esports as a whole, but that has been changing as titles like FIFA and the NBA have become involved within esports. Whilst the big three games still make up the top end of viewership, these titles enable the transition to be much easier for viewers of more traditional sporting events. Similarly, there has been a huge increase in the number of betting sites available as a list can be found here, and offers another opportunity for viewers to find some familiarity in the esports scene.
Ease of access – Many traditional sporting events are tied behind a paywall as broadcasting options that have become outdated are still widely used – either as an addition to cable services or a separate subscription is typically required for viewing, and that’s an area that esports has set itself apart as all big events are typically streamed live, for free, on online platforms such as Twitch. This has allowed new viewers to tune in to big events whilst their more traditional option may not have been available, and without any restriction to prevent them from viewing have realised the ease of coming back, and the benefits of viewing online for these tournaments.
Diversity in options – Another big selling point throughout last year had been the growing number of games that were becoming represented in the esports space – whilst the familiar options mentioned above like FIFA and NBA have been great for the newer and more casual viewers, the growing list of titles means that these new viewers looking to explore other options have a wealth of options to choose from as the scene grows. As newer viewers begin to spectate, the success of these titles will only continue to increase too, and the list of bigger games with high viewership will grow too.
There’s plenty of room for esports to move in 2021, and with some early rumblings that there could be some traditional sporting cancellations once again it opens to door for more casual viewers to become involved once again, and provides for the second time a more unique opportunity for growth that may not have otherwise been possible, but also growth that may have inevitably happened later on as the esports scene continues to experience enormous growth.