In December of 2019, the global Esports revenue reached more than $1 billion.
If it continues to grow at the rate that it has, it will surpass the UEFA Champions League in a few years.
This offers a choice for gamers everywhere. Now, playing games as a competitive profession is a valid path. A career in Esports is now a logical path. A wild change from in the past where you would hear stories about parents shaming their kids for even thinking about trying their hand at winning the prizes many competitions offer.
The 2019 Fortnite World Cup was won by 16-year old Bugha, who got a $3 million payout at the end.
There has also been a massive increase in viewership of the tournaments. In 2018, it was measured that there was a combined total of 380 million viewers between enthusiasts and occasional viewers. Newzoo estimates by 2021 that figure will increase to 557 million.
An Esports player can now become just as big a celebrity as his opposite in football or basketball. Perhaps not quite as big as LeBron James and Christiano Ronaldo, but they certainly have similar exposure. With the onset of COVID-19, the viewership of Esports only increased further.
With traditional sports canceled, games like Overwatch,
League of Legends,
and Fortnite all drawing massive audiences.
The aforementioned Fortnite World Cup drew over 2.3 million viewers alone.
Esports are rising faster than SpaceX rockets. The only question is how much higher they can go in comparison.