Esports at E3 and the Evolution of Esports Culture
E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) has long been a major showcase for the gaming industry. Last year E3 attracted 68,000 attendees, including 15,000 fans. It was the first time regular consumers could buy tickets to the industry-only trade show. The annual show, held this year in Los Angeles from 12–14 June, is considered one of the biggest gaming events of the year (if not the biggest) and the venue where most major game publishers show off their most important releases for the upcoming year.
The popularity of esports has increased significantly in the last year. Newzoo’s 2018 Global Esports Market Report predicts that global esports revenue will grow 38% to $906 million in 2018 and $1.65 billion by 2021. A lot of powerful people and companies are investing in the esports ecosystem to ensure its future as a global industry to rival traditional sports.
The future of esports is closely tied to media broadcasts and advertising, so events such as E3 will be very important in growing the esports audience and increasing the momentum of “esports culture” within the wider gaming world.
With E3 generating billions of media impressions, the shifting gaming industry towards esports and has, so far, been reflected in the E3 events.
The explosion of games using the battle royale format has been reflected in the events at the show. E3 was home to a major Fortnite tournament, the Pro Am, featuring 50 streamers and 50 celebrities. Epic Games also gave more information regarding its $100 million Fortnite prize pool for the 2018–19 season. They announced on Tuesday that the upcoming year of competitive play would culminate in the 2019 Fortnite World Cup. Epic also provided viewers and community members with the first look at ‘Observer Mode’, which will potentially be used for future Fortnite: Battle Royale esports tournaments.
ESL set up an esports arena in the Los Angeles Convention Center for the show. The biggest games company in the world, Tencent, made its first public presence at E3 and they hosted the mobile game “Arena of Valor” playoffs with ESL. Nintendo also hosted tournaments for its big games, in particular the first Splatoon 2 World Champioship and the Super Smah Bros Ultimate Invitational.
Subnation was launched at E3 to provide a series of brand experiences, live experiences and immersive entertainment to celebrate gaming and esports culture. Subnation calls itself “an entertainment platform that celebrates and elevates the lifestyle of gaming and esports.” and aims to cover a “number of topics across gaming subculture including music, art, tech, style and entertainment”. Subnation’s presence at E3 could represent an important step in the evolution and growth of gaming and esports as it expands it reach to new consumers.
There is a lot of potential for spending growth on esports lifestyle and culture, and as esports grows, the sector is increasingly attracting non-endemic brands who wish to connect with audiences in a way they are unable to do with traditional media.
EIPlatform is being developed around the core concept of direct interaction between brands and audiences. Using blockchain technology, the EIPlatform global network will offer solutions to brands wishing to reach their audience in the esports ecosystem. The EIP team have a unique understanding of the issues facing marketers in the esports sector and are developing the platform to bring brands together with their target audience.
We suggest you make the most of this fantastic opportunity to invest in what is sure to be one of the largest growth areas of the marketing industry in the next decade.
Please read more about EIPlatform and the EIP Whitepaper one-pager.
