The popularity of eSports is growing in Germany

Published on: August 16, 2018 / Updated on: September 9, 2018 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

+++ Esports popularity is growing in Germany +++ Esports, esports trends +++ Esports tournaments predominantly in the West +++ Esports is profitable +++ Fortnite is number 1 on Twitch +++ Esports is taking off +++ Esports is becoming a billion-dollar business +++

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Globally, esports is on its way to becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. In Germany, the German Games Industry Association (BIU) believes that professionalized gaming is already on its way to becoming a mainstream sport. "But it's not just the professional esports sector that's growing; more and more sports groups are also being established at universities and local clubs in Germany," the BIU stated in a press release . Survey data published there shows that awareness of esports is increasing. Currently, 29 percent of online users are familiar with the term – among 16- to 24-year-olds, more than half know what this digital sport is all about.

eSports, eSports Trends

eSports tournaments predominantly in the West

Esports offers the potential for significant financial gain. The highest-paying tournaments award prize money in the tens of millions. According to a survey by Newzoo, the majority of major tournaments take place in Western industrialized nations, specifically North America (28 percent) and Western Europe (26 percent). Another quarter of the most important events are held in Asia (24 percent), primarily in China (8 percent).

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eSports pays off

Revenues and viewership are rising, and clubs like Schalke 04 and Paris Saint-Germain now maintain their own professional teams – esports is currently experiencing a boom. Athletes are also benefiting from this development. Major competitions now offer prize money in the millions. For example, "The International 2016" – a Dota 2 tournament in Seattle – had a total prize pool of 21 million US dollars. Successful players are already becoming millionaires at the highest level of esports. And there's no end in sight to this upward trend. By 2020, the global esports audience is expected to grow to almost 600 million viewers. Prize money and revenues are expected to develop accordingly in the coming years.

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Fortnite is number 1 on Twitch

According to Newzoo, viewers on Twitch watched a combined total of 124.7 million hours of Fortnite (LoL) gameplay in June 2018. Fortnite is a live-streaming video platform primarily used for broadcasting video games, while LoL is an online co-op survival game. However, the esports share of Fortnite is negligible. This is different for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike, where roughly half of the viewer hours are dedicated to professional esports streams. Streaming top-level gaming now generates revenues in the high hundreds of millions.

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eSports is taking off

What do Schalke 04 and Paris Saint-Germain have in common? Both clubs now have a League of Legends team. This is a multiplayer online game. eSports is no longer just a quirky niche sport. The market research company Newzoo predicts a real boom for top-level gaming. This year, the number of viewers watching eSports competitions online or on television is expected to rise to 385 million worldwide, and analysts anticipate almost 600 million viewers by 2020. Revenues are expected to develop accordingly in the coming years.

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eSports is becoming a billion-dollar business

Esports is on its way to becoming a billion-dollar market, according to the latest Global Esports Market Report from Newzoo. The report predicts revenue will exceed $1.6 billion by 2021. However, it's not quite there yet: analysts forecast revenue of $906 million for the current year, with 40 percent coming from sponsorships and 19 percent from advertising. The seriousness of esports is further demonstrated by the fact that clubs like Schalke 04 and Paris Saint-Germain now maintain their own League of Legends teams – a multiplayer online game.

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