Traditional sporting leagues could be exciting, but the next decade of the 21st century will be successful for e-sport leagues. What’s so attractive and interesting about esports? Digital tournaments, players, teams, significant prize money, and stadiums where people can cheer for their favorite teams.
E-sport industry would not be possible without so-called “publishers.” Those publishers are business entities that are transforming e-sport as a business. If not being the business industry, E-sport would not be successful and won’t have too much noise.
Publishers are companies that are developing video games that can be played online. Nintendo, Valve, Ubisoft, BioWave, Rockstar Games, Electronic Arts – those leading publishers that run the esports industry.
Canada is one of the first countries to take a lot of focus on esports. Vancouver was the first city to get the e-sports stadium and host digital tournaments from the middle of the summer. It’s been an exciting ride for e-sport fans.
What’s different in Canada’s approach to E-sports?
In general, Canada is very popular in the digital gaming industry. We have seen the rise of I-gaming platforms. Europe became the first place to build the stadium solely focused on E-sport tournaments. At the same time, the United States followed the same path. So, what’s different in Canada? What is the main reason experts believe that Canada will be the Mecca of E-sport business entities?
First of all, Canada’s government has very close relations with business entities in any industry. If we take a look at digital gaming, then Canadian business companies have reached maximum growth in the last five years. Experts believe that Canada’s approach to digital gambling should be used as a blueprint of success. As you may know, Canada was one of the first countries to allow digital gaming. Since then, Casino, Slot, Poker, Horse Racing, Roulette, and look alike industry has been on the rise. It all started with the right mindset of Canadians and a positive approach to the country’s government.
Since 2014, the Canadian government decided to give a second wave to casino industries in the country. We have witnessed the rise of platforms like real money casino online, slots, and roulettes. Along with those platforms, Canadians business entities got a right to build digital platforms for e-sports. Everything changed when a new bill passed that allowed Canadians to test their luck on esports. Betting on esports became the cultural thing for gamers, and motivation has grown on different levels.
Two main reasons for the popularity of Esports in Canada
Why did Canadian business entities decide to sponsor the e-sport industry and tournaments? There are different reasons why E-sport is on the rise in Canada, but let’s focus on two main factors.
First of all, local young generation adores playing and watching esports through different platforms. GlobalWebIndex decided to take the survey and asked thousands of young Canadians about Esports. As it seems, 2018 was very popular for E-sports, and it was emerging year. In 2017, there was no big spot where Canadians would gather and watch digital tournaments. According to statistics, in 2018, 28% of Canada’s young generations attended E-sport tournaments. Keep in mind that data was shown along with no infrastructure in-country related to e-sports. What happened in 2019? We have seen the first stadium for E-sports in Vancouver and the rise in a percentage to 40%. That’s a big primary reason why companies decided to test the waters in the E-sport industry and invest more money.
Another reason is indeed the motivation. When the betting sector enters the industry, it eventually gets more attention. As you may know, Canada allowed betting companies to offer the best in e-sport tournaments. Everything changed in 2018 when the most significant betting operators of Canada have displayed the offers publicly. When the gambling industry enters the competition, interest in those particular tournaments rises with a geometric progression. The same scenario happened with Esports tournaments in 2019 when Vancouver’s stadium hosted tens of tournaments in just four months period. Industry experts believe that E-sport will reach 1 billion valuations in the next decade. E-sport industry, in general, accumulated up to 400 million dollars in 2018 with only rights of broadcasting digitally and through TV. Statistics show that the industry will get 600 million dollars valuation by 2022 as interest grows.