eSport is marching!

eSport is marching!

Remember our previous article on eSport? Really only a few months back. eSport has simply just evolved faster than anyone could imagine.

I found an article here. The amazing fact is that Saudi is positioning itself as the eSport capital of the world.

The latest is the inaugural eSport World Cup, running from 4 July to 24 August 2024. It will feature 22 events in 21 different video game titles. It is already half-way there and it is a massive success.

I quote from the article:

“With a worldwide fanbase of 530 million, esports, the blend of gaming and competitive sports, is changing the entertainment industry.

Supported by a thriving $200bn gaming industry, what began as informal online matches between friends has now become a global sensation televised worldwide.

“Gaming is the largest leisure activity of our time, a universal language spoken everywhere,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “This growth, generation by generation, has paved the way for esports to become the world’s fastest-growing and most in-demand sport.”

“Now valued at $4.3bn, the esports industry is predicted annual growth of 7%, reaching $5.7bn by 2028. Armed with a highly engaged audience and accelerating digital innovation, experts in business, marketing, and publishing are discovering that esports isn’t just a fleeting trend – it’s a cultural and economic powerhouse”

“For the first time in history, the EWC prize pool will exceed $60 million, which the 1500+ global competitors, across 21 game titles, can win a share of. The tournament is also primed to introduce a brand-new crossgame competition format that will not only reward individual title winners but also overall club performance, which will have its own $20 million dedicated prize pot”.

The last Cricket world cup had some 50 million viewers Euro 2024 viewers? Some 24 million Superbowl? Some 125 million viewers

The bigger question is: Although eSport may not rival soccer anytime soon, we can easily see that eSport will be ranked as one of the big ones.

The significant ‘endorsement’ of eSport is probably the latest move to make eSport an Olympic discipline.

I quote from here.

“By SVG Staff Monday, July 15, 2024 - 10:01 am

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announce that it has partnered with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This step follows the IOC’s recent announcement that the IOC Executive Board (EB) has established Olympic Esports Games. The proposal will be made to the IOC Session, which will be held on the eve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024”

So, we have the eSport World Cup this year and in 2025 we have the Olympic eSport.

It is telling that it has to be in Saudi. The venues are not small and the venues are now there.

I quote from here:

“As the new epicenter of esports in the Kingdom, the gigantic SEF Arena will boast state-of-the-art facilities and impressive capacity.

The arena covers a total area of more than 34,000 square meters with a main building at over 18,000 square meters. The main building contains four venues with capacities of 1,571 people, 1,565 people, 1,570 and 1,252.

Building 2 covers 7,308 square meters and has an arena with a capacity of 2,245.

The impact on Saudi is going to be big. Saudi really wants to capture this growing market:

“This ethos reflects Saudi’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to create more than 39,000 jobs and increase the sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP by $13.3 billion by 2030.

The problem with eSport is, in many ways, that the video games are rather violent. That is something the Olympic committee’s are addressing.

It opens the doors for a lot of criticism and might impact the popularity (and parent acceptance) if the violence is not tones down a bit.

That can also be a drawback as the very young might be attracted to the violent games and will not be interested in the ‘cute’ ones.

eSport is not easy!