2020 can be said to be a tough time for the whole world community. Mainly since the COVID-19 outbreak spread so widely that almost the entire world has felt the impact. Of course, in addition to health, the effects have also spread to various sectors, including the Esports industry.
The industry, which has continued to develop rapidly since 2011, has a significant difference, which can be seen from the increasing total prize pool and the entry of new game titles that are finally working in this field. As one of the world’s largest money supply industries, its activists are working hard so that Esports can survive during this pandemic.
From changing the tournament format to changing the system continues to be made to maintain its existence. However, are these changes effective? Or will it only last for a while?
We have collected some data to find out about the development of trends and the Esports industry during this global pandemic. Happy reading the article below! What do you think about the development of Esports during the pandemic? Feel free to comment and don’t forget to buy CSGO smurf accounts on Eldorado gg store. Enjoy reading!
Switching from Offline to Online
Before the pandemic, Esports was one of the most popular entertainment industries, especially for game lovers. Tens to hundreds of tournaments have been successfully held in a magnificent event witnessed by millions of pairs of eyes live or online.
However, since this pandemic broke out, several tournament holding companies have finally turned their brains so that Esports can still be enjoyed by fans worldwide. Yet, the choice of online tournaments seemed the best option that can be taken.
For example, ESL One Los Angeles Major 2020, a major-scale tournament from the Dota 2 game, now has a different format from the previous year. It is also intended that DPC’s timeline does not change because Valve has an annual tournament called The International.
CS: GO also have the same problems as Dota 2. The organizers have to decide to change the official tournament format under the big names Valve, ESL, and Intel Master, namely the ESL Pro Tour.
The new regulatory system that was put forward in early 2020 also succumbed to the conditions. Because it was impossible to hold offline tournaments, a new format was finally determined to keep this tournament alive.
Increase in Viewership on Streaming Channels
In connection with the points above, the format change has a positive impact on the Esports trend. It is evident from the increasing number of viewers since the pandemic hit the world. Indeed, because fans cannot take other options so that they can keep watching their favorite team competes.
Data from Statista shows that, in March 2020, Twitch experienced a surge in viewership on various Esports channels. It was later validated by Valve, which stated that the number of viewers on March 15 reached 20 million viewers. This figure is quite fantastic because Statista says that this increase has reached 15% in three months.
New Trends That Will Last
The conditions that are currently sweeping the world have made many Esports tournament organizers think hard to continue the event they are holding, which has led to a new trend in the realm of Esports. Everything is entirely online. Not only qualifications, but the group phase to the main event has also been held online many times to protect the Esports industry ecosystem.
Newzoo also predicts that if these conditions are the same throughout 2020, this trend will be even more profitable in 2021. From a social perspective, this will become a “culture” in the realm of Esports. People will be more comfortable watching matches at home and use their gadgets to stay up to date with Esports.