SEPTEMBER | FEATURE
five qualifier places known later this
year before our draw in November.
Esports’ UK ascent
With live eSports events proving more
popular than ever, EMS CEO Keith
Austin explores where this rapidly
emerging global market is headed next
Gaming is no longer the anti-social
pastime it once was. Instead of
playing or watching games at home
– alone or in small groups – fans are
coming together in their thousands
for real-life celebrations of digital
gaming experiences. Almost by the
day, gaming-related conventions and
competitive eSports tournaments are
popping up in major cities all over the
world.
For those unfamiliar, eSports
involves the world’s top gamers
playing competitively against another
individual or team. Games with the
biggest following or player base attract
the most attention, with some matches
and tournaments bringing in millions
of online viewers and thousands of
attendees to arenas across the world.
In the UK, Wembley’s SSE Arena is
now an established eSports venue,
whilst Twickenham Stadium, home
to England’s national rugby teams, is
going down a similar avenue with the
opening of a dedicated eSports suite
and events booked throughout the year.
These events enable so much more
than seeing competitive matches
live however, giving fans the chance
to purchase virtual and physical
merchandise, try out new gaming
products and get involved with a
unique social experience. What’s clear,
is there is a massive opportunity for
traditionally digital brands to capitalise
on a phenomenon that shows no signs
of slowing down.
As revealed by events management
and ticketing website Eventbrite, fans
are demanding more events, more
often and in more locations. In fact,
a key problem for many attendees of
these events has been their location –
with 40% of ticket-buyers stating they
want to see more live events outside
of major cities. If a gaming studio or
eSports association was to make these
unique experiences more accessible,
there’s no doubt hordes of fans would
jump at the opportunity.
To put the potential of this relatively
untapped market into context, you
need only take the most highly
attended eSports event of all-time –
organised by production company ESL
– IEM Katowice 2019. This event saw
multiple competitive tournaments take
place take place over the course of two
weekends. Over 174,000 fans bought
tickets and packed into Poland’s Spodek
arena – an impressive number. Online
significantly, there was a further 230
million fans tuned in to the action.
This means that of the total audience,
only 0.1% were physically in the arena.
It begs the question; how could ESL
have capitalised on the other 99.9% of
engaged fans?
Traditionally we’ve seen these
events isolated to arenas and online
live-streams, but who’s to say a more
ambitious approach couldn’t open a
whole host of new opportunities. If ESL
had held numerous live screenings of
the matches in locations across the
world, how much more of this 230
million viewership could they have
involved? Many fans simply do not
have the means to travel to Katowice
or London and are counting on a more
accessible opportunity.
If we look beyond live screening,
there are new exciting ways we can
engage this audience. As revealed
by Eventbrite, we know that fans
want access to exclusive products
and experiences, so why not provide
merchandise stores and meet-and-
greets with game developers and
eSports stars. Community is another
key demand, so why not create fan
areas for attendees to compete against
one another, or Q&A sessions where
fans can give direct feedback on
upcoming products.
Whilst the current growth rate
of the industry may be enough for
some, the real opportunity lies with
the remaining 99.9%. Fans truly want
to socialise and interact with people
who share their interests, forge new
friendships and make memories with
like-minded people. It is now up to
those at the forefront of the industry to
answer those demands.
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