There’s no question that eSports has shown tremendous growth in recent years, with competitive players taking on one another in such games as Call of Duty, League of Legends and, most recently, DOTA 2, which hosted one of the biggest prize pools in the history of the competitive league (over $10 million). It’s not just that the number of esports players are growing, though; some new statistics from Battlefy have shown that the numbers for esports tournaments have grown tremendously.
Back in 2011, a total of 8,809 tournaments were held, just when eSports was gaining some traction. Over the past three years, however, the number of tournaments held has grown ridiculously. In 2012, the number jumped to nearly 18,686 from the previous year’s 8,809. In 2013, it almost doubled again to 33,636. And in 2014, with estimates, it’s looking like over 47,500 tournaments will be held. That’s impressive considering the number of tournaments started out so much smaller.
As far as what players want to play in terms of eSports competition, League of Legends topped the list with 7,565 tournaments and 578,730 players. Coming closely behind in second place was DOTA 2 with 5,012 tournaments and 327,090 players, and the EA Sports FIFA series in third place with 4,919 tournaments and over 68,000 players.
Here’s how the rest of the list pans out:
Pokemon: 3,604 tournaments, 50,403 players
StarCraft II: 3,104 tournaments, 39,067 players
Call of Duty (series): 2,263 tournaments, 63,988 players
Counter-Strike: 1,411 tournaments, 68,155 players
Street Fighter (series): 656 tournaments, 9,456 players
Battlefield (series): 226 tournaments, 13,146 players
World of Tanks: 195 tournaments, 14,448 players
That’s a grand total of 28,955 tournaments, and over a million players. Not too shabby for electronic sports.
The increasing number of tournaments is a result of the increasing audience for esports, of course, but it’s also helping to increase interest in esports. As the number of tournaments increases, more people can compete for more prize money, which in turn fuels greater excitement and engagement with fans.
Source: Battlefy
