Here are some eSports facts that we think you’ll find amazing and highly surprising! The eSports market and industry has been growing at an incredible rate. And it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. You might well of heard lots about it in the past year or two. Competitive gaming is becoming increasingly more mainstream. As its continuing to grow in popularity, we thought it was time to explore this further. So we’ve put together some of the most mind-blowing and interesting facts about the industry so that you can start to understand it better.
Introduction to eSports facts
This blog post focuses on some of the most interesting, informative and useful esports facts. eSports continues to grow massively, so it’s something that you should be interested in if you love sport. As participation in regular sports continues to decline, it seems like more and more people are instead turning to eSports. This is a big social change, which is why we are taking an interest and helping you to understand this trend. Read on to find out more…
The total market value of the eSports industry exceeded $1 billion in 2021
eSports has massively surged in popularity over the past few years or so. And its market value has followed in line with this increased popularity. Back in 2019, the eSports global market was valued at $957.5 million. This figure has now grown to approx. $1.08 billion – that’s a huge increase of more than 10% over just the last two years.
What’s more, this eSports industry growth comes in spite of a pandemic-driven dip when the value of the industry decreased to $947.1 million. By the time we reach 2024, it’s estimated that the eSports market will be worth some $1.62 billion.
China’s eSports market is worth more than $100 billion more than any other region’s
The eSports market in China is worth an estimated $360.1 million – this is $100 million higher than the next largest regional eSports market.
The US eSports market is worth an estimated $243 million. It makes it currently the second-largest eSports regional market. Western Europe’s Esports market is estimated to be worth some $205.8 million.
The top eSports team has won almost $40 million in prize money
They are called Team Liquid – and they are the top eSports team in the world, by earnings. They have won over $35 million as a professional Esports team.
Team Liquid is closely followed by a team called OG, who have won some $36.9 million in eSports prize money. In addition, around 17 organisations have won over $10 million in eSports prize money. A further 41 organisations have won over $5 million in eSports prize money.
The top-earning eSports player has won over $7 million
The top-earning eSports player as of October 2022, is Johan Sundstein (popularly known as “N0tail”). He’s made a total of $7.18 million to date from eSports.
There are around six more eSports players that have won totals exceeding $5 million. And a total of 133 eSports players have exceeded the $1-million mark.
The top-earning female eSports player as of October 2022, is Sasha Hostyn – who is popularly known as Scarlett. She has amassed a total of around $430,000. This is roughly 18x less than the top male eSports player.
Currently, three female eSports players have won totals exceeding $100,000. And around 161 female eSports players have won $10,000+ from playing eSports.
The most viewed eSports tournament reached over 5 million viewers
As of May 2021, the Free Fire World Series 2021 in Singapore has been the most viewed eSports event ever, with some 5.41 million peak time viewers. The second and third most viewed eSports tournaments have been the League of Legends (LOL) World Championships.
The 2019 LOL World Championships was viewed by around 3.99 million peak viewers. While the 2020 LOL World Championships was viewed by some 3.88 million viewers.
To date, there have been six different eSports events that have registered over 2.5 million peak viewers.
There are an estimated 234 million eSports enthusiasts
eSports audiences have grown massively year-over-year between 2019 and 2021. In 2019, there were an estimated 197 million eSports enthusiasts. And a further 200.8 million occasional eSports viewers. In 2021, these figures grew to 234 million. In addition, there are a further 240 million ‘occasional’ eSports viewers.
By 2024, this number is expected to increase further to 285.7 million eSports enthusiasts. And an additional 291.6 million ‘occasional’ viewers.
Conclusion regarding esports facts
It’s very clear from the above eSports facts that eSports is a massively growing industry. It continues to peak the interest of so many people all over the world. So if you’ve been thinking of getting involved with eSports, then you are certainly not alone. Millions of people all over the world are exploring this exciting new world!
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For more information about the eSports industry in general, we recommend visiting eSports Insider – the go-to resource online for esports business news, insights, and consultancy.