ESport – a sporting discipline or new business area?

Nowadays, the popularity of eSport as a professional sport, that brings real revenue, is gaining pace. The question arises: how can it be positioned?

Some experts in the sphere of traditional sport do not consider eSport a real discipline. Others claim that eSport will play the role of ‘the sport of the future’ that will significantly excel even football in terms of popularity.

The market is expected to grow to $1 billion by the next year, and in a year – to $2 billion. Moreover, eSports can be included into the register of the Olympic disciplines in the long run. Even today there are professional eSports leagues and teams throughout the world, and many players get high fixed salaries apart from cash prizes won in the tournaments.

On the other hand, there are no clear regulations. Each major tournament establishes its own rules. Furthermore, despite the apparent leadership position of separate games (Dota2, CS:GO, LoL and other), there is no accurate definition of what can be considered an eSports discipline, and what – an ordinary entertainment content.

Currently, representatives of big business show much interest in the industry, taking into account that there are many vacant promising niches left. In any case, whatever status is associated with eSports in the future, its full-scale entrance to the mass market is inevitable.

You will find more information about trends and commercialization of eSports in Russia and the world at eSPORTconf Russia 2016, Moscow, on December 1.

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