Esports has evolved with the internet, computers, and consoles. Thanks to streaming, more fans may see their favorite teams play in enormous arenas that host arcade competitions. Over the past years, esports viewership has climbed by a specified percentage.
Competitive gaming rivalling the Super Bowl seemed unthinkable a decade ago. All suspicions dissipate when it’s revealed that a Midseason Invitational, not a championship event, was 30,000,000 viewers away from the Super Bowl.
So, let’s explore the biggest esports events and why they are like the Super Bowl:
2022 League of Legends World Championships
The most popular esports event is Worlds. Every year, League of Legends World Championships break gaming viewing records.
Because [given reason], this event is notable and reflects esports’ growing popularity. Riot Games’ 2022 Fireworks grand final between DRX and T1 garnered 5.1 million viewers.
That match’s peak viewership was huge. In 2022, Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu won after eight years. Middle-lane legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok lost T1.
The Super Bowl and NBA Finals garner several million more viewers than the most prominent esports events, but their popularity reflects esports’ rise. Compared to traditional sports, esports are new yet gaining in popularity. All these records may fall in 2023.
LoL Midseason Invitational 2018
Finally, the largest esports event winner isn’t the champion! With 60,000,000 unique viewers, this Round Robin invitational shows esports’ appeal.
Unique viewers [particular definition] are a key indicator of esports’ reach and popularity. This event alone lasted two billion hours. Huge esports universe.
14 teams played League of Legends 8.8 in Riot European Studios in Adlershof, Germany, and Le Zénith in Paris. This significant event had 448,451 peak Twitch, 426,296 peak YouTube, and 24,590,504 average concurrent viewers.
Online viewers could watch anywhere. From May 3-20, 2018, RNG earned $1,370,520.
Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2017
An Intel-sponsored silver medalist in the most prominent esports championship was commended. It had 46,000,000 views and 19,744,073 hours.
The Spodak Arena held 173,000 people as 12 teams competed for the surprise $250,000. Being held at a sports stadium made esports historic. Having esports tournaments at famous venues shows industry progress.
The CSGO event was remarkable because Astralis won without a winner. There were 3. League of Legends went to Flash Wolves and StarCraft II to Jun “TY” Tae Yang. ESports’ top stars and victories matter for their careers and the industry.
The 2016 League of Legends World Championship
RiotGames broke records again a year before #4 with 43,000,000 unique viewers and 370,000,000 hours.
This event traveled the West Coast from September 29 to October 29, 2016. Standard 16 teams competed for $5,070,000 in 6.18.
The championships were hosted by San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Chicago’s Chicago Theatre, Madison Square Garden, and Los Angeles’ Staples Center. Each site had 47,268 visitors.
The peak concurrent visits were 14,700,000, with 28,263,260 views. SK Telecom T1 won again with 971,092 Twitch views.
The 2022 LoL Midseason Invitational
Midseason Invitational is one of two annual League of Legends international tournaments. Royal Never Give Up defeated favoured T1 in five games to win the 2022 grand finals.
This great event ended the first-half narratives and built up Worlds later that year. League of Legends is one of the most watched esports.
MSI grows annually, making the 2022 edition one of the most-watched esports tournaments. Riot Games reported 2.2 million peak watchers.
The Super Bowl
Super Bowl LIII logoIn 2019, 98,200,000 unique viewers watched the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta’s 75,000-person Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Last year, 60,000,000 unique viewers watched the League of Legends Midseason Invitational. The French Le Zénith multi-purpose arena held 6,293.
Championships draw more people than invitationals. The NFL Championship resembles the 2022 LOL World Championship. Compared to traditional sports, esports are new yet gaining in popularity. This comparison demonstrates that esports could challenge traditional sports.
Takeaway
Growing esports demand space. UC built an esports arena knowing this. Other schools with more successful and recognised teams may follow UCI’s wonderful idea.
Create your Lotus365 ID to gain all the benefits of the Lotus365 online gaming app. Although its gross revenue and popularity are rising, its niceness makes it worth investing in. It creates a submarket.
