Shady Numbers and Bad Business: Inside the Esports Bubble

[ThomasED]

I think the inflation of an eSports bubble that is definitely primed to pop comes from the introduction of games that are FORCING some sort of eSports scene instead of letting it develop naturally. If anything, the bubble may have already been popped and it is slowly deflating because no one has realized it and keep trying to pump into it.

DotA and LoL are pretty successful because tournaments existed were ran and prized before developer support. They just put money into it to make it more accessible and lead to the high viewership of these events. The same applies to fighting game communities like Melee where almost all competitive events are player organized.

However, HotS and OW stumbled a lot because so much was pumped into it up front. But HotS is now a dead game and the OW team was scrapped completely earlier this year. So many of these players, as far as I know, have scattered to more established games to scratch their competitive itch.

Most recently in the MtG Pro League debacle which branded itself as the next eSport. Even though the game will continue strong due to years of enfranchised players, this is a obvious example of a company putting little effort into the eSports support only because they thing the turnover will be enough.

I do not think eSports - as a spectator sport - can evolve naturally. Mainly because, in comparison to physical sports - e.g. basketball, football, tennis, they are not easily accessible to spectators. Parents can easily watch their kids compete in the local TKD tourney, when they start turning up to watch them play in the local Rocket League then we can talk.

 

[ThomasED]

Let me also add that the NFL does not make much money on advertising selling footballs, pads, and cleats. They make money on ads for beer, automobiles, and all sorts of otherwise unrelated stuff.

When eSports can attract those types of advertisers it will be a real thing.

 

[Squid Surprise]

I do not think eSports - as a spectator sport - can evolve naturally. Mainly because, in comparison to physical sports - e.g. basketball, football, tennis, they are not easily accessible to spectators. Parents can easily watch their kids compete in the local TKD tourney, when they start turning up to watch them play in the local Rocket League then we can talk.

Lol... that’s the one thing esports has easy... anyone can watch via the internet....

Let me also add that the NFL does not make much money on advertising selling footballs, pads, and cleats. They make money on ads for beer, automobiles, and all sorts of otherwise unrelated stuff.

When eSports can attract those types of advertisers it will be a real thing.

Once popular, they will attract those advertisements. Especially since the market of 18-45 year old males is so heavily represented...

Did you even read the article?

 

[Vanderkaum037]

Here is my question: The shelf life for any given game is a few years, maybe, and then new games come out, people get bored of the old stuff. Are people still going to be playing DOTA and LOL on the same maps 20 years from now? Starcraft 1 lasted maybe 10 years, and it was an extremely long-lived game. How can you justify investment in a stadium or purchasing a multi million dollar franchise in a sport with a lifespan based on the game product cycle? This is why I think it's not useful to compare esports to real sports or to even call them "esports." It's clear there is money to be made from streaming and tournaments, but it looks like dumb money is burning millions trying to shoehorn the square peg of esports into the round hole of traditional sports.