While growing in popularity each and every year it still has to be said that Esports isn’t quite as mainstream as many of the event organisers would like you to think. But things are changing quite quickly and now what was once a small networked event with a group of friends is now a massive organised event watched by millions. If you still don’t know much about it you can visit sites like esportz4u.com and learn a lot more. If you ask me the future of Esports will look very different and here are my top ten predictions…
Massive Growth
The global Esports market is said to be worth $1.6bn by 2023 which would mean it gets a 15% annual growth for the next 2 years! But with more people getting into this form of combative gaming I can easily see this target being reached.
Virtual Reality
There are those who don’t feel Esports has the makings of professional competitors, but all this will change with the event of Virtual Reality. With headsets getting cheaper and cheaper I can see this being a separate category all on its own.
The Growth of Brands
Big names brands like BMW and G-Fuel have recently jumped onto the band waggon when it comes to brand deals with Esports teams, but I can easily see this becoming a much bigger thing in the years to come with some of the worlds biggest brands wanting to get their name on events and teams shirts.
Mech Deals
When was the last time you saw a piece of merchandise with an Esports team name on? I bet it was almost never but that will change in the coming years with more teams selling their own merchandise and even getting that said merchandise in high-street fashions shops.
Mainstream Media
While it has been growing behind the scenes and in more niche markets the whole event of Esports is yet to really break into mainstream TV. We already know big media channels like Netflix is planning on showing some events, but I can see this being just the start of Esports mainstream breakout.
Big Pay Cheques
While some teams have indeed seen big money I can easily see individual players being part of a transfer season and even one-off big-money team transfers with individuals being paid millions just to stay on a team.
Big Name Players
It is only a matter of time before teams and indeed individual players become household names. This will happen naturally with more brand deals, but also as part of Esports breakthrough into mainstream media.
More Females
With more and more teams picking female members I can see the whole female audience growing year on year and it might even overtake the male audience as more teams become all-female in selection.
Cross-Platforms
Soon it will not just be about PC gamers, it will feature console gamers, VR gamers and indeed smartphone gamers all being able to compete in Esports tournaments.
Going Global
While most countries have at least 1 Esports teams this is sure to grow with whole countries making people part of their “trainer” teams at a very young age. One day every country might have an Esports team including all the Arab nations.
If you enjoyed this post you will have to pop back here in a few years and see if I was right about any of these predictions. In the meanwhile, if you have any of your own do drop a comment and lay claim to your prediction.