This article is based on Yoda Labs: How E-Sports is destined to drive mass Web3 gaming and crypto adoption? The most in-depth research on Web3 gaming and e-sports by Yoda Labs, DappRadar, bga, and Sura Gaming
You can find the original text here. For more information please visit Yoda Labs and subscribe to their newsletter.
Esports Today
Esports has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with millions of fans tuning in to watch professional players compete for cash rewards. The rise of esports has led to technological innovations and the development of new gaming titles. While the current structure of centralized competitions poses a challenge for most players to earn a decent living, blockchain technology is revolutionizing the industry by offering a new level of transparency, ownership, and engagement for players and fans. Esports is gaining significant traction in the Web3 space, with popular Web2 esports teams venturing into the blockchain gaming industry to expand their competitive careers and take advantage of potential benefits.
The Intersection of Esports and Web3 Gaming
Blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the esports industry, but its adoption has been slow due to various factors. Investors have a limited understanding of the technology, regulatory questions have arisen due to its decentralized nature, the established esports industry requires significant investment and resources, and there is a lack of interoperability between different blockchain platforms. Nevertheless, there are signs of growing interest in the combination of esports and Web3 technology, with investors funding cryptocurrencies and blockchain gaming. Partnerships between cryptocurrency projects and esports teams have led to lucrative deals, and Web3 games have been developed that are suitable for esports tournaments.
Blockchain Technology: Empowering Esports
Decentralized platforms, enabled by smart contracts and NFTs, offer solutions for transparent and tamper-proof tournament hosting, automated reward programs, crowdfunding, and tokenization of teams. Blockchain also simplifies prize money distribution by providing a fast, inexpensive, and borderless solution. Web3 esports is believed to create a more sustainable and inclusive ecosystem for all involved, revolutionizing the esports experience. Esports CEOs believe that publishers must create digital revenue opportunities for the esports ecosystem and benefit from them, and they see blockchain as an opportunity to do so.
The Future of Esports and Blockchain
The intersection of esports and Web3 gaming is receiving significant investment from crypto companies and traditional investors alike. Coinbase, Uniswap, Tezos, Bitstamp, and PolygonGaming are just a few examples of crypto companies sponsoring esports teams and platforms. The total sponsorships in esports are expected to surpass $1 billion by 2025. The Pioneers of Web3 gaming and esports include Animoca Brands, Sky Mavis, OpenSea, Unikrn, ImmutableX, Polygon, Chiliz, and WAX. Several well-established esports companies are also exploring the potential of Web3 gaming. Web3 presents lucrative opportunities for esports organizations, particularly through the use of NFTs. Despite being a niche aspect of Web3, esports organizations see NFTs as a way to connect with fans and generate revenue. Polygon is a champion in Ethereum scaling and infrastructure advancement, and the network has made its mark in crypto gaming and NFTs. Polygon has partnered and invested in several esports entities, demonstrating how rapidly the world can embrace Web 3.0. As the popularity of blockchain technology in gaming continues to surge, we may see a wave of esports organizations and players turning to Polygon as their go-to blockchain solution, with Polygon becoming the “ocean” that carries the esports “ships” to new heights.
What do you think the future of esports is?
Tell us in the comments!
This summary is sponsored by Blockstars. Blockstars is building a Free to Play Mobile Music Management Simulation.