The world of e-sports is experiencing a rapid boom as more and more people become passionate about playing video games in an organised and competitive way.

The popularity of games such as CS:GO, Dota 2 and League of Legends has led to the e-sports market growing rapidly. Market researchers forecast a worldwide market volume of around 1.87 billion US dollars for the year 2025.

Rising viewer numbers and global trend:

The number of viewers is rising inexorably worldwide. In 2021, around 489.5 million viewers were counted. Experts assume that this number will rise to over 640 million by 2025. Young people in particular show great interest in e-sports events; in the 16 to 24 age group, as many as 44 per cent say they follow it regularly. Germany is no exception here, as more than a third of the German population is familiar with the term e-sports and 19 per cent have already followed live streams or attended events.

What well-known streamers have to do with it:

Even if the Let’s Play streams of well-known streamers on Twitch and YouTube are not serious e-sports, for many connoisseurs of the scene they are seen as an entry into the world of competitive online gaming against others. It is not unusual for thousands of young people to follow the activities of their idols before they gain their first gaming experience themselves.

Exploding prize money:

In addition to the growing number of spectators, the prize money at e-sports tournaments is also rising continuously. This development illustrates the growing recognition and importance of e-sports as a competitive field. A remarkable record is held by the tournament series “The International” of the game Dota 2 with prize money of more than 40 million US dollars in 2021. The increasing prize money, which is now regularly in the seven-figure range, contributes significantly to the attractiveness and professionalisation of the whole thing.

The Saudis are also getting in on the act:

Saudi Arabia is planning to build its own “E-Sport City” in the capital Riyadh, which is to be completed by 2024. As part of the “Saudi Vision 2030”, the region is striving for independence from oil. The professional location is another step in this direction.

The huge facility will be dedicated exclusively to e-sports and have a planned capacity of 20,000 people. The costs amount to up to 500 million US dollars. It is to serve as a global hub for the industry and attract major competitions like the World Cyber Games to the desert. In addition, local talent is to be promoted and the country’s own gaming industry expanded. The plan is linked to Saudi Arabian investments of almost eight billion US dollars in various gaming companies within the last 18 months. Critics see the whole thing rather sceptically. This is because such impressive activities – including the signing of various world football stars – have often been used to distract attention from real and serious problems.

Economic success of eSports:

The economic importance of e-sports is also reflected in the turnover figures. In 2021, global turnover in the market reached an impressive 1.14 billion US dollars. This corresponds to an increase of around 14.1 percent compared to the previous year, in which a turnover of 996 million US dollars was recorded. Forecasts for 2022 suggest a further increase to around 1.38 billion US dollars. This revenue comes from various sources, including merchandising, ticket sales, sponsorship, media rights, digital and streaming rights, and fees from game manufacturers.

“The Game” is thus flourishing and gaining more and more followers and recognition worldwide. Rising viewer numbers, record prize money and impressive sales illustrate the explosive development of this emerging sector.

With increasing professionalisation and a steadily growing global audience, e-sports is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and promising areas of the modern entertainment world.

For us at Ranieri Agency Germany and Ranieri Gaming, the field of e-sports is naturally exciting, among other things because many former and current clients are important players in this field, we understand the relevant target groups – and can thus support our clients in their communication in a targeted manner.

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