The eSports industry is experiencing massive growth worldwide, and doesn’t look to be slowing down.
According to a market report by Newzoo, the global eSports market is expected to grow by over 50% by the end of 2016, more than was expected at the beginning of the year.
Worldwide eSports revenues are projected to reach $493 million at the end of 2016 and $1.1 billion by the end of 2019.
Competitive gaming has evolved from a social hobby into a spectator sport in only a couple of years, and now features massive tournaments which boast prize pools bigger than many equivalent sport events.
For information on the global distribution of eSports revenue, consult the graphic below:
Local Gaming
Although the eSports scene is still dominated by places like China, South Korea, Europe, and America, South Africa’s competitive gaming scene has also been experiencing rapid growth.
This can be seen by the recent formation of professional multi-gaming organisations similar to those present overseas and the large increases in tournament prize money.
Earlier this year, Telkom hosted its DGL Masters CS: GO and Dota 2 tournament which boasted a prize pool of R1 million.
In addition, the tournament was hosted by international eSports legend Paul “ReDeYe” Chaloner, who has presented some of the largest gaming tournaments in the world, including Valve’s The International.
While the local eSports scene still has a long way to go, the interest of South African gamers and brands in the competitive gaming scene is creating steady and rapid growth.
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