The Esports sector is slowly taking shape and the future is proving to be bright if the growth trends are anything to go by. Statistics have shown that the global revenues for the esports industry crossed the 1-billion-dollar mark in 2019, which represented a 27 percent growth from the previous year. The investment opportunities in the gaming industry are evident and that esports is certainly an area of huge potential. But what does the future like? to answer this question, Charlo Barbosa, a renowned investor, and entrepreneur in the gaming industry shares his thoughts on the future of esports.
Mobile Esports will rule the industry
In all aspects of life, mobile phones (particularly smartphones) are proving to be extremely essential, and this is true to the gaming industry, particularly esports. As a way of finding new and engaging ways of interacting with audiences, mobile gaming publishers are slowly beginning to lean towards mobile as a way of closing in on new clientele. A good example is Tecent’s release of Call of Duty Mobile, an Activision and Tecent’s release that has demonstrated that mobile is a key enabler in the globalized business environment.
The key to the growing success in the gaming industry has been the global penetration of smartphones, whose rate stood at 41.5% by 2018, a figure that is thought to have grown by at least 8% in the last two years. When combined with the worldwide growth of wireless technology, mobile gaming is poised to be a powerful sector in the years to come. But how do all these things influence esports? Surveys have shown that people are inclined to watch and play games that they are passionate about. Therefore, the more gamers play on mobile, the higher the audience of esports.
Improved Monetization
All the players in the esports industry are going to leverage the growth potential of the sector and reap more than ever before. Publishers are expected to benefit both directly and indirectly from their titles. On the other hand, organizers will need to be more creative to generate more from the growing revenue streams. When assessing the winners in all these, it is crucial to note that there are two groups. First is the streaming platforms and second are those engaged in content creation. While there is expected to be a surge in competition, it is likely that content creators will stand out. However, because the prospect is a mixed one, the room for improvement for various players is still wide. Overall, the platform that will embrace creativity and ensure a positive user experience will have a bigger share of the projected growth.
While it is true that it is going to take some time before we achieve the full impact of esports, it is without a doubt that the unprecedented rise in mobile and virtual reality gaming will push the sector to levels that can guarantee greater gains. The latest aspect that is set to kick-start and put the fitness revolution to a different level is the virtual reality headsets and the state-of-the-art gymnasia. The coming together of advanced gaming technology and physical fitness is most certainly going to merge the two worlds together.
A Hope to Legitimize Online Gaming
While the current onslaught on online gaming is a global trend, mainstream players are looking forward to having governments legitimize the platforms. This is because the revenue streams of these platforms are huge and expected to grow. Until global governments render online gaming illegitimate, players in the industry still hopeful that they will continue delivering positive user experiences, Barbosa says. Eventually, the gaming industry is going to be regulated, and investors will get licenses. This will create a conducive and regulated environment in which publishers and streaming entities will be able to have a level playing ground.
Because watching games and gaming itself are two things that are driven by changes in consumer behavior and the changing socio-economic situations, it is expected that as more and more people stay home due to the global coronavirus pandemic, viewership, particularly on mobile phones will surge twofold. What this means is that this industry will even be more resilient amidst the burning effects of the lockdown and economic shutdown. Staying home and working remotely gives staff more time and space to watch and game more than when they are working in-house.
Charlo Barbosa, the founder of GoodGamer concludes by saying that mobile will quickly replace personal computers (PCs) and that intuitive, user-friendly applications and platforms will have the advantage of increasing viewership in the months and years to come.
