Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
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- Figure 1: Global esports revenue, 2018-21 (est)
- Impact of COVID-19 on esports
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- Figure 2: Impact of COVID-19 on gaming and esports, June 2021
- Opportunities and challenges
- Lagging behind traditional sports but still growing
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- Figure 3: Recency of watching/broadcasting gaming content and sports, 2020-21
- Interests within esports are expanding
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- Figure 4: Number of games/genres watched, 2020-21
- YouTube, Facebook double down on gaming content
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- Figure 5: Where games are watched, 2020-21
- Perceptions of esports are improving
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- Figure 6: Perceptions of esports as a sport, 2020-21
- eSports players are closer to influencers than athletes
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- Figure 7: Attitudes toward esports athletes, April 2021
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- A slower recovery for esports
- Sponsorships drive global revenue
- Gameplay fuels trends in esports
- Brighter days ahead
Global eSports Market Size
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- eSports revenue set to recover after slight setbacks in 2020
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- Figure 8: Global esports revenue, 2018-21 (est)
- Impact of COVID-19 on esports
- Immediate impacts (2020)
- Short term (2021)
- Recovery (2022-25)
- Learnings from the last recession
- Sports sponsorship spending took a small hit
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- Figure 9: US sports sponsorship spending, 2006-09
- Gaming remained a viable option for entertainment
Global Segment Performance
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- Brand sponsorships make the biggest impact on esports revenue
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- Figure 10: Global esports revenue, by revenue stream, 2021 (est)
- Digital sales and broadcasting poised to see big gains in 2021
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- Figure 11: Year over year growth of esports revenue streams, 2020 vs 2021
Target Audience – The US Gamer
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- Who are gamers?
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- Figure 12: Profile of US gamers, by key demographics, April 2021
- Mobile attracts the largest audience
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- Figure 13: Gaming devices used, April 2021
- Gaming is a daily habit
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- Figure 14: Frequency of gaming and weekly hours, April 2021
- Casual gaming is common
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- Figure 15: Reasons to play video games, April 2021
- Puzzle and board games have the largest audience
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- Figure 16: Preferred gaming genres – Any rank, October 2020
Market Factors
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- eSports faces stiff competition from more established competitions
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- Figure 17: Sports followed, April 2021
- Vaccine could quell fears for attending live sports in 2021
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- Figure 18: Attitudes toward returning to live sports, August 2020
- Live streaming becomes crucial, especially among young adults
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- Figure 19: Social media viewing, by age, February 2021
- Investments coming back to bolster esports
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Focusing on content creation and athletes’ wellbeing enhances esports
- Opening up opportunities for new players to get their shot
Competitive Strategies
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- Hardware partnerships explore new areas
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- Figure 20: @NBA2KLeague PS5 announcement Twitter post, April 2021
- Figure 21: @samsungmobileusa Twitch Rivals announcement Instagram post, February 2021
- Utilize sponsors for extra content outside competition
- Flex schedules create bigger opportunities for sponsors
- Emphasizing health of players
- eSports tools get major investments
Market Opportunities
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- Opening up opportunities for a more diverse playing field
- eSports falling behind social awareness campaigns
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- Figure 22: Awareness of social justice initiatives in sports, November 2020
- Call of Duty League brings popular franchise to competitive stage
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- Figure 23: @CODLeague USAA announcement Twitter post, February 2021
- Converging with mainstream sports
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- Figure 24: @rocketleague NASCAR Instagram post, May 2021
- Expanding merchandise and branding opportunities
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- Figure 25: @g2esports Adidas Instagram post, January 2021
- Academic esports gets further investments
- Reaching younger viewers through non-violent competitions
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- Figure 26: @gengesports Toyota Sienna Dream Builds Instagram post, March 2021
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- One third of adults watch esports
- A new audience is looking for opportunities to learn
- Maintaining esports momentum will be important in 2021
- Newer and older games are starting to attract an esports audience
- YouTube is a go-to gaming destination in a confusing media landscape
- A sunnier disposition toward esports has arrived
- Fans want to support players directly
Watching eSports and Gaming Content
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- One third of adults have watched esports in the past year
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- Figure 27: Profile of esports viewers, by key demographics, April 2021
- Casual game viewing outreaches esports competitions
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- Figure 28: Recency of watching/broadcasting gaming content and sports, April 2021
- Gaming content gains a larger audience in 2021
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- Figure 29: Recency of watching/broadcasting gaming content and sports, 2020-21
When People Started Watching Gaming Content
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- eSports have brought people into gaming content over the past year
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- Figure 30: When people started watching gaming content, any gaming content viewer vs esports viewers, April 2021
- Young viewers have always been into gaming content, but middle-aged viewers are just getting started
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- Figure 31: When people started watching gaming content, by age, April 2021
- Parents with teens are starting to tune in
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- Figure 32: When people started watching gaming content, by age of children, April 2021
- Clearing up confusion, diversifying lineups could bring people to esports
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- Figure 33: Barriers to watching gaming content, April 2021
eSports in 2021
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- Established esports viewers are ready for more
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- Figure 34: Expectations for the frequency of watching esports, any gaming content viewer vs esports viewers, April 2021
- Video game streaming, investments became more important over 2020
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- Figure 35: Behavior changes since COVID-19 pandemic, April 2021
- Action game fans invigorate interest in game streaming
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- Figure 36: Behavior changes since COVID-19 pandemic, by select games watched, April 2021
What Games are Watched
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- A larger audience watches a greater variety of games
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- Figure 37: Number of games/genres watched, 2020-21
- Viewers split between individual and team-based games
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- Figure 38: Team vs individual games, April 2021
- Call of Duty breaks out as other older games grow their audience
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- Figure 39: Games and genres of games watched, 2020-21
- Millennials look to established titles for entertainment…
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- Figure 40: Games and genres driven by Millennials, by generation, April 2021
- …while Gen Z looks to newer games
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- Figure 41: Games and genres of games driven by Gen Z, by generation, April 2021
Where Games are Watched
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- An abundance of options confuses the average viewer
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- Figure 42: Attitudes toward where to watch esports, April 2021
- Most viewers aren’t going to many destinations
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- Figure 43: Number of platforms where games are watched, April 2021
- YouTube dominates, but smaller platforms see some gains
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- Figure 44: Where games are watched, 2020-21
- Age helps dictate platform preferences
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- Figure 45: Where games are watched, by age, April 2021
Supporting eSports: In-person and Online
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- eSports fans are looking for brand support
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- Figure 46: Attitudes toward where to watch esports, April 2021
- More viewers are seeing esports as a sport
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- Figure 47: Perceptions of esports as a sport, 2020-21
- Online events will continue to be important
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- Figure 48: In-person vs online esports viewing, any gaming content viewer vs esports viewers, April 2021
- The US has an opportunity to grow influence through live events
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- Figure 49: Interest in live and international esports, April 2021
Supporting eSports Athletes
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- Fans create direct connections by supporting professional players
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- Figure 50: Recency of spending on professional gamers, all vs esports viewers, April 2021
- Players feel they have leveled up over the past year…
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- Figure 51: Perceptions of skills to be a professional gamer, 2020-21
- …but a perception that esports players are athletes remains low
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- Figure 52: Perceptions of esports athletes as athletes, 2020-21
- Treating players as people will strengthen engagement
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward esports athletes, April 2021
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
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