Esports had a huge year in 2016. As we enter 2017, this year it will be even bigger. More players, more events, more tournaments, even playoffs, and “Super Bowls”. Already off to a great start, this past weekend Genesis had over a hundred thousand people watching fighting games like Smash Brothers, Killer Instinct, and Street Fighter V. Earlier in the month Smite held their annual World Championships. Hi-Rez pulled off a stunning event this year, people from all over the world gathered and watched NRG Gaming take home Thor’s Hammer! In Japan they recently held a Co-op Cup where teams of five would face off against one another (Street Fighter III: Third Strike) for the title.
FPS Esports
CS:GO, Call of Duty, are two of the most watched shooter games being played today. Games like Overwatch, H1Z1, and Gears of War are on the rise so expect to see them hit the top this year. CS:GO itself has been played for over a decade and it’s events get bigger each year. Over a million people were watching it alone on Twitch during the first major of 2017! Activision is setting up LAN events for their tournaments and road to their World Championships which is a huge change and one for the better in my opinion. Players wont be hit offline while playing from home anymore, so it’s a win for them. However Organizations and sponsors will have to dip into their checkbooks more to help pay for their players to make it to events, have a place to stay, and meals to eat. Which brings me to my last topic…
Global Takeover
This year I hope to see new people playing under new organizations. Each game could have teams all across the world play all year long to send their best teams to World Championships in each respective game. The US alone could generate hundreds of new teams & individuals across all genres of competitive video games. So let’s get to it, keep growing all across the globe. 2017 is going to be a great year!
