eSports still might be fairly new but with its popularity increasing everyday people are already looking to the future of eSports and what’s next. There are already plenty of tournaments taking place throughout the year with millions of spectators watching. Not only is this great for the players but it’s also big business for the games developers and sponsors. So what’s the future of eSports and where is it heading? Let’s find out.
Currently there a few big games which hold worldwide gaming competitions all over the world. Some of these names include League of Legends, Dota 2, Hearthstone, Smite and the recently announced the Overwatch World Cup. These gaming events are big dates on the calendar and attract millions of viewers each year as the best players in the world battle it out to be crowned the world champion.
A few years ago there weren’t that many world tournaments as games didn’t have enough popularity or players to host one. Nowadays new world tournaments are being announced every year which means we can only expect more and more yearly tournaments to pop up on the calendar.
Since the start of these international tournaments many have been offering multi-million dollar prize pools for players who take part. The good news for players is it looks like the prize pools for these tournaments are only going to get bigger and bigger.
Ever since Valve launched their Dota 2 international world championship tournament they have continuously broken the record for the largest eSports pool prize. The first Dota 2 “International” was held in 2011 and had a total prize pool for $1.6 million split between the top 4 teams, pretty impressive but it gets better. Two years later in 2013 Valve, the creators behind the game and the tournament had a great idea to increase the prize pool for the competition.
They began to sell what was known as an Interactive Compendium that had details of the teams, team members and hero’s they played. For every one of these compendiums they sold 25% of the revenue went to the prize pool. This left the prize pool total at $2.8 million for 2013, a big leap up from 2 years ago. But Valve didn't stop there.
Hot off their genius idea, they came up with another one. Not only did they sell Interactive Compendiums but they also have the option to buy points and level the compendium up in game. For every compendium and level up sold 25% went to the international prize pool. By the time the international tournament came around the prize pool stood at a record breaking $10.9 million making it the largest eSports prize pool ever seen! Since 2014 the record has been broken every year by Dota 2 and this year for 2016 the prize pool stands at $20.7 million!
The bigger the prize pools for tournaments the more players that show up. It’s simple maths. If tournament A has a prize pool of $2 million and tournament B has a prize pool of $20 million, people will be more interested in tournament B.
By increasing the size of the prize pool at gaming tournaments, this allows more eSports players to turn pro and have an actual career. Currently some companies such as Riot games actually pay players a basic wage in order to cover their living expenses. This is a great idea as solely relying on winning tournaments for income is not realistic. One bad year and you’ll earn nothing at all.
By having more companies pay eSports players a basic wage, this allows more players to turn pro and increase the level of competition in eSports. This is exactly what everyone wants! Good players want to turn pro if the money is there and audiences want to watch exciting new talent.
Tournaments are a great way to show off skill, make friends and win prizes. There isn’t really a downside to them, apart from having to travel a long way to get there. More tournaments means more competition and in a competitive environment like eSports this is definitely a good thing.
Getting into a big eSports team can be hard, especially if no one notices you. By having smaller, more regular tournaments throughout the year this not only gives people more to play for but also lets big teams scout out future superstars in the lower leagues.
If you ever hoped eSports would be in the Olympics then there’s some good news. The International eSports Federation have taken the first steps to get eSports recognised by the International Olympic Committee. The organisation have received a response providing them with the steps required to get competitive gaming recognised as a sport and possible considered for the Olympic games.
Although it’s still early stages and it can take months to prepare and review the submissions it’s definitely the first step in getting eSports in to the Olympics. Be sure to keep an eye out on any new news in the future!
If you think you have what it takes to become an eSports pro then you’ll need to practise. Practise makes perfect in every aspect of life and eSports is no exception! If you think you’re a good player on your region then why not switch to a different one to see if you’re as good as your think. Instead of moving your account, why not get a smurf? Keep your main account on the same server and get a new smurf account in a different region! Be sure to visit our store below to see all the regions we have available.
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