The eSports industry has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, and many players are now able to make a comfortable living from competitive gaming. This expanding sector is showing very few signs of slowing down with the global eSports market expected to be worth $5.74bn by the end of 2030.
North America has recently overtaken China as the biggest consumer of eSports, with a market value of $1.07 billion. In 2024, the U.S. boasts a 37.2% market share and has been a major driver in accumulating total eSports revenue. Nevertheless, technological advances have enabled fans to engage and interact with their favorite tournaments from all over the world.
We’ve picked out some of the key statistics that are helping to drive this innovative industry.
Most Popular eSports Games
At the beginning of 2024, the most streamed eSports game was Fortnite. The online battle royale video game was streamed for a combined 41.7 million hours throughout October 2024, with a re-release of the original map in December 2023 helping to revive interest amongst long-term fans. Fortnite was the only game to exceed five million views on Twitch between March and April 2024.
Although it remains popular amongst eSports enthusiasts, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive peaked in 2020. Over 1 million fans streamed the game during these twelve months, although the figures may have been inflated by the global pandemic.
Dota 2 boasts the largest cumulative prize pool with a total of $346.43 million. This has been spread across almost 2,000 tournaments which have taken place at various venues across the globe.
League of Legends holds the record for all-time viewers. The 2024 League of Legends World Championship attracted a peak viewership of 6.9 million, with an average of 1.73 million tuning in for an accumulative 191 million hours.
The most popular game of November 2024 was Grand Theft Auto V, with 20.4 million weekly hours watched.
Team and Tournament Statistics
The MLBB M5 World Championship, which is more commonly referred to as League Legends: Bang Bang World Championship, was watched by five million viewers at the end of 2023. This broke the previous record which was set by its predecessor – The M4 World Championship.
Team Falcons have participated in the most tournaments so far. Hailing from Saudi Arabia, this eSports behemoth have become a household name in the world of eSports and have competed in over 160 tournaments across 2024. Although their participation began in FIFA eSports, they have more recently turned their hand to Valorant, Overwatch and Dota 2. They have accumulative earnings of over $3.5million on the latter.
As of April 2024, TSM is the most successful organization and is reported to be worth $540 million. They are closely followed by 100 Thieves and Team Liquid. The latter is the leading earner in this sphere having won over $49million of prize money since turning professional.
Betting Statistics
The eSports betting market has shown significant growth over the last five years. Whereas wagering on traditional sports such as horse racing and basketball has largely plateaued, eSports betting has enjoyed a surge in popularity, with the majority of the revenue generated by the North American audience.
A combination of the legalization of online betting in the U.S. and bookmakers promoting their eSports betting markets can be attributed to this growth. Many online sports betting sites have launched eSports-specific promotions and offers whilst simultaneously increasing the number of tournaments available for live betting purposes.
Increased interest in competitive gaming coupled with the accessibility of mobile betting are two of the major contributors to this year-on-year growth. In the UK, eSports betting revenue is expected to reach $172.3 million by the end of 2024, whereas the average revenue per player in the U.S. is $33.6.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and League of Legends are the most popular choices for bettors.
