The eSports industry is one of the fastest growing sections in the digital economy nowadays. The predictions of the whole sector reaching $1 billion in value by the end of 2019 are slowly starting to make sense as new games are constantly being developed, new players constantly joining the fray and more and more spectators long onto streaming websites.
But what exactly can this industry bring for large corporations or listed companies on exchanges? What type of deals can multimedia giants make with game publishers and streaming websites that would ensure constant growth in terms of stock price?
What eSports can impact the most
One of the first companies that come into mind when thinking about eSports is Amazon. Due to their acquisition of Twitch.com, the largest eSports and gaming streaming websites, the company’s shares managed to skyrocket, as well as incorporate millions of millennial customers.
But Amazon is the obvious answer, seeing how they practically own the thing. But what about other industries and companies who seemingly have nothing to do with eSports?
According to topesportsbettingsites.com, one of the few industries that can benefit directly from the growth of eSports is the digital gaming industry. Thanks to the competitive nature of eSports, many legal-aged spectators like to place bets on their favorite teams.
In fact, there have been multiple companies created directly for eSports betting, such as Unikrn, which even made a specific cryptocurrency for the bets. Naturally, very few large digital gaming companies are going to even bother with featuring this segment, however, they may be interested in acquiring the smaller companies that are now forming.
Why is eSports growth inevitable?
Have you ever heard the term “once a fan always a fan?”. That is a very thematic explanation of eSports in general. If a player was once interested in a video game so much that they dedicated some of their time to watch others play, then he or she has a high likelihood of continuing to do so in the future.
Furthermore, modern youth is shifting from conventional sports and involving itself with eSports much much more. This is due to influencers growing in number on platforms such as Youtube and Twitch, and of course, game development companies taking the route towards eSports-oriented games.
Games like League of Legends and Dota 2, may be the dominant eSports currently, but there are more contenders than ever these times. For example, much like the conventional sports fans are divided by sport categories, such as football fans, basketball fans, and rugby fans. Same applies to eSports fans. Some prefer shooters, some real-time strategies, and some prefer MOBAs. Due to the fact that new genres are constantly being mulled over by game developers, it is guaranteed that new “metas” will always appear regardless of the spectator base.
Is it a good time to track eSports?
The best time to have been involved in eSports was during the years of its formation, of course. But due to the fact that the industry is still in its development phase, many investors may find it very lucrative to analyze the market.
The eSports industry may not have investment opportunities directly, but it does have them indirectly. For example, people can double-down on hardware companies such as Nvidia or Razer. While others can get involved with multimedia giants such as AT&T as well as Amazon (due to their connection with Twitch).
Overall, the newly forming industry is ripe with opportunities that people can actually grab onto.