Watching other people play video games is apparently a much-larger industry that you had anticipated. According to a new report by market researcher Newzoo, the Esports industry is said to grow 43 percent to $325 million in 2015.
The Numbers and the Growth of ESports Phenomenon
It will continue this momentum by swelling to $463 million in 2016, and to $1.1 billion by 2019. This is not really coming as a surprise, since with the backing of most of the major game developers today, as well as drastically growing audiences, the industry is now being taken more seriously than ever. New, rewarding events along with the rise of services such as Twitch are further causing people take up this profession.
The good news is that the growth of Esports is not just limited to the Western regions only. As the report tells, Asia-Pacific will account for 44-percent of the entire audience in 2016. The entire audience now stands at 131 million people, a 27.7 percent increase over the last year, along with 125 million people who tune in mainly for the major events.
The bulk of the revenue still will come from North America, which is likely to bring in $175 million this year, however, China and Korea are not out of the picture entirely either with $106 million in receipts combined.
Commercial Possibilities and Opportunities
There was a drastic increase in the amount of money to be earned from all of these events. The total prize money in 2015 amounted to $61 million, a 70 percent increase over previous year. Online advertising was a lucrative segment, with increases of 99.6 percent on a global scale. An average esports enthusiast is also likely to bring $3.53 in the market, though, that is increasing fast and reliably.
Mobile games are also playing a very important role in the rise of this industry. Newzoo calls Clash Royale by Supercell as a prime example. It’s clear that mobile gaming is here to stay as a result, like it or not.
