INSIGHT
INSIGHT
BOOM TIME
With viewer numbers, prize pools and now betting revenues continuing to
rocket, esports’ meteoric rise continues apace, writes Nick Pateman.
Here he offers his insights on how best to tap into this exploding market
AFTER DECADES OF LURKING
quietly on the sidelines, competitive
gaming, now commonly known
as esports, has become a global
phenomenon. The popularity of live
streaming has led to soaring viewer
numbers, with the worldwide esports
audience now standing at 380 million.
This has motivated game developers to
create titles with esports in mind and
has led to crowdsourcing tournament
prize pools that would leave traditional
sports organisers stunned. In 2018, for
example, the winning team of Dota
2’s The International took home more
than $11m, a little less than half the
total prize pool.
Esports, then, is not just here to
stay, but ready to go stratospheric. The
global esports market is soon to cross
the $1bn mark and is projected to
grow by a further 50% by 2020. With
wagering predicted to hit $23.5bn by
2020, even those most sceptical of
the market will concede that playing
computer games is much more than
just a basement hobby.
Any affiliates taking esports betting
seriously will find themselves entering
one of the fastest growing markets
36
iGB Affiliate Issue 72 DEC 2018 / JAN 2019
in gaming and benefiting from what
many are expecting to be a level of
unprecedented growth. With so many
only now considering esports as a
viable commercial route, what are
some of the key lessons for entering
this market successfully?
Building an engaging brand
in esports
The esports fanbase is unlike
any other. A unique blend of
demographics, interests and incomes
make for a wonderfully mixed group
of individuals that – for the most
part – have a love for competitive
gaming themselves. Esports fans are
technically savvy, brand-loyal and
often sceptical of new entrants to the
market. There is a reason why the
industry makes such a distinction
between ‘endemic’ (brands that supply
the market) and ‘non-endemic’ (those
that don’t): the latter have a hard
time making friends, often needing to
convince fans that they’re in it not for
the money but for a love of esports
and the culture that surrounds it.
That said, even the most unlikely
brands may find themselves winning
over an esports audience. DHL,
which inexplicably became the global
partner of one of the world’s largest
tournament brands, ESL One, received
great acclaim during their Dota 2
2018 Major in Birmingham. Thanks
to a winning strategy, a brand that
seemingly has no place in the esports
scene has made a huge success of it.
If executed correctly, then, non-
endemic brands stand every chance of
successfully entering the market, but
the alternative can be catastrophic.
At best, a poorly managed brand will
find themselves shunned by the scene;
at worst, they may live on forever
as an unedifying meme of exactly
what not to do. Whether you are an
existing esports fan or one looking at
the commercial opportunity of this
exciting market, knowing who your
audience is and how best to engage
them is more important than ever.
How to engage esports fans
As one of the first affiliates in the
esports scene, and with a team that
has decades of combined competitive
gaming under its belt, SickOdds.com
is in a unique position to offer advice