Esports is one of the hottest markets in the world. It is coming off its biggest year in 2018. Looking ahead in 2019, here are 7 bold predictions to watch for:
- Teams Will Tokenize
- Market Will Grow Faster Than Predicted
- More Deals Like Activision and Twitch
- Cross-platform Will Become Table Stakes
- The Next Fortnite Will Add a Platform
- Massive Influx of Investment from North American Sports Teams
- Esports Performance Optimization Will Become a New Category
Esports Teams Will Tokenize
The Esports world has been filled with announcements of sponsorships of major Esports teams and tournaments. However, we predict some teams will shy away from sponsorships and prefer to fund themselves through their community. To facilitate this, we predict 2019 will be a big year for Esports and Crypto to combine.
The Market Will Grow Bigger Than $1.1B in 2019
Research from Esports research house Newzoo has previously projected that the Esports market would grow to $1.1B, which would represent an annual growth of over 20%. We predict that this projected number is low and in fact the market will grow 50% to over $1.35B in 2019.
More Deals Like Activision and Twitch Will Clarify Copyrights
Activision and Twitch recently signed a mega-deal that clarified copyrights on broadcasting of Esports. We predict many more such deals between Esports broadcasters and game studios in 2019.
Cross-Platform Will Become Table-Stakes for New Games
Fortnite took the gaming and Esports markets by storm in 2018 as a free-to-play and cross-platform. We predict the popularity of cross-platform games such as Fortnite will make cross-platform a must-have for any game to breakthrough and gain an Esports following in 2019.
The Fortnite of 2019 Will Add a New Platform
While cross-platform will be the minimum entry point, we predict the addition of a new platform experience (AR, VR etc.) will be a component of the 2019 game that breaks through and gains an Esports community following.
2019 Will See a Massive Influx of North American Sports Teams and Celebrities into Esports
2018 saw the continued growth of interest from established sports teams in Esports, coming on the heels of investments from the likes of Robert Kraft, whose New England Patriots are once again vying for the SuperBowl on Feb 3. We predict that this influx will become a tidal wave in 2019 and will reach of the awareness of the average North American sports fan.
Esports Players Seeking Advantages Will Create a New Category
Given the lucrative earnings available to successful Esports players, we predict a new business category will spring up to serve optimizing every aspect Esports performance, from hand-eye coordination to diet and rest and will be called Esports Performance Optimization.
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