The Most Popular eSports Options

It goes without saying the eSports sector has seen unprecedented growth around the globe in the past decade, particularly in the US. That is indicative of how much video games have become mainstream and that global audiences now have a massive appetite for digital contests, which only seems to keep growing. The same goes for eSports betting, which now has a predicted worldwide market size of $2.5 billion, with this industry growing at a yearly rate of 7.27%, set to hit an estimated market volume of $3.3 billion in the next four years. Here, we will inform you about what we think are the five most established video game titles whose competitions draw the highest betting interest.

Dota 2

The 2013 sequel to the Warcraft II: Reign of Chaos community mod named Defense of the Ancients, Dota 2, is, without question, one of the video games that has changed multiplayer gaming. Developed by Valve, who started work on this title in 2009, Dota 2 is a free-to-play option with no heroes. Hence, one of the reasons for this game attaining its popularity level is on account of its free-to-play model. Yes, gamers can buy cosmetic alterations, investing in how their characters look. Nonetheless, paying money is not a prerequisite to enjoying Dota 2 for anyone. Something else that has drastically contributed to this game attaining the status it has is its inherent requirement of teamwork and coordination, which has led to the creation of an active community and tournament scene.

The International is, one of, if not, the most anticipated eSports event of the year. Its 2022 edition featured a prize pool of almost $19 million, and various other competitions using this game have also boosted reward pools in the millions. Examples include the Shanghai, Manila, Boston, Frankfurt, and Kyiv majors. Dota 2 reached its streaming peak in October 2021, when over 2.7 million people watched gamers compete in this Valve creation designed by IceFrog.

Counter-Strike

In 1998, Half-Life hit video game store shelves, capturing gamers’ attention because of its cinematic storytelling and character-driven narrative. At that time, this was somewhat of a novelty in the FPS genre, which primarily focused on action. While Half-Life impacted the gaming sphere significantly, it probably added more to it via the mod scene that emerged from it. The game inspired countless modifications that received wide critical acclaim and boasted impressive player numbers. Some of these were Day of Defeat, Pirate Vikings and Knights, Opera, and Counter-Strike (of course). Though, the latter got developed by Valve, Half-Life’s creator, and not fans. CS popped up online in November 2000, two years after Half-Life’s release, as a team-based FPS pick where terrorists battle a counter-terrorist unit.

In 2012, CS got a sequel created by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment as the fourth entry in this series. Even years after the release of Global Offensive, Valve unleashed an official sequel. Once that happened, most prominent eSports organizers announced that they would make the switch over to this game. Some will make this change in 2024, while others will do it in 2025 and 2026. People seem to like Counter-Strike because its rounds are short. They involve strategy plays, and events like the PGL Majors and WESG contests have included events with prize pools of over a million dollars. The most gaming fans that have observed live CS gameplay ever was during the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 when about the same number of people watched the CS events as they did the Dota 2 one.

League of Legends

Commonly referred to as LoL or League, League of Legends is a multiplier battle arena pick that came out for Windows in 2009. It got an OS X version in 2013. It got published and developed by the California-based company Riot Games, who openly admitted that they got inspired to make this game when playing the original Dota.

Like its source material, League of Legends is a free-play title, and during a match, players can grow to become more powerful by earning gold, collecting EP (points), and purchasing items. Collecting all these makes it easier for teams to defeat their opposition.

6.4 million people tuned in to watch a LoL contest in mid-November 2023, the highest number the eSports scene has generated. The LoL World Championships have traditionally listed reward pools that have surpassed the five-million-dollar mark.

Valorant

Aside from creating League of Legends, Riot Games’ other claim to fame is as the team behind Valorant, a tactical shooter that debuted in 2020 that mimics Counter-Strike in many ways, borrowing several of its mechanics. Yet, unlike its inspiration, Valorant gets set in the future. It also has a pretty nifty mobile version.

In May 2023, Valorant’s Discord server pulled in impressive activity figures, making it this platform’s fifth most massive community overall and its second most developed gaming one. Valorant’s tournaments have had a combined prize fund of $27.8 million to date, and this game’s highest audience got notched in March 2024, when a Valorant Twitch stream hit peak concurrent viewership of 1.68 million.

Overwatch

Originally published for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows-operating systems in 2016, Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment got a Nintendo Switch released in October 2019. The game got a sequel in October 2022 that bombed and left fans furious. Like Valorant and CS, Overwatch is another team-based FPS. It includes multiple game modes, virtually all revolving around squad-based combat. Overwatch 1, unlike its successor, pretty much got universal critical acclaim, with everyone praising its diverse character appeal, cartoonish style, accessibility, and super enjoyable gameplay.

It attracts gamers because of its high dynamism level, making it a very competitive game at its core, perfect for the eSports landscape. The Overwatch League is the granddaddy event for this Riot Games title, and it traditionally has a prize pool in the $2.5 million to $3.5 million range. It does not pull in as jaw-dropping streaming audiences as the previously listed games. Nevertheless, its top contests get viewed by several hundreds of thousands of people, not counting individuals residing in China..

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