Figure 1 Esports draws huge crowds to the biggest events
There has always been a competitive edge to video games. Even when the closest anyone could get to a game was at the local arcade, tournaments would be held to find the local gaming hero – who might receive a nominal cash prize but definitely the guaranteed adulation of his or her peers.
It is fair to say that we have come a long way since the arcade days of the 1970s. Online gaming changed the landscape completely and now we have professional athletes competing in franchise leagues, with fans able to stream and watch live while also backing their favorites on good betting sites.
Esports is big business now and is regularly mentioned in the same conversations as more traditional sports. There have even been campaigns to get esports titles into the Olympics. Fans can watch their heroes all year round in high-profile leagues but it is still the big tournaments that really get everyone excited. These have adapted over the years – and also now include a surprising number of mobile gaming titles – but the adulation for the winners is just as intense as it was back in the arcade days.
Here are five of the biggest esports tournaments of the last few years.
M5 World Championship
If you take a look at the top ten most viewed esports tournaments of last year you would find that half of them were centered around one game, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The mobile gaming scene has exploded in recent years, allowing for a much more diverse athlete pool and changing the way online gaming as a whole is consumed and enjoyed.
In fact, going back to the list of most viewed tournaments in 2023, this World Championship actually makes two appearances in the top five. The conclusion of the 2022 season took place in January of 2023 but the next edition outperformed even that competition. The M5 championship managed five million viewers at its peak, with 1.18 million simultaneous viewers on TikTok – an esports record.
Blast.tv Major
Mobile gaming might be the bright young thing of esports but there are some titles that seem to always be popular – and one of those is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). There are a number of big tournaments for this title but the Blast.tv event in Paris was the most popular in 2023.
In comparison to the mobile gaming titles, this CS:GO tournament only managed to attract 1.5 million viewers and there was a notable drop off in numbers, put down to the transition to the updated CS2 game. That being said, CS:GO is still incredibly popular, especially on Twitch, and is likely to feature in future top tens even as other established titles fall away.
The International
One of the biggest names when it comes to esports tournaments is The International. It is the culmination of the Dota Pro Circuit and brings together the top teams from the season as well as a number of qualifiers. Dota 2 is a five-on-five game and has traditionally been one of the most played esports titles on the market. But there have been signs that the popularity is waning somewhat.
We have still included The International in our list as we believe it deserves a place in the history of the evolution of esports. But, if you take a look at the prize pool on offer, the dip in popularity is stark. Collected through a crowdfunding model, it is very noticeable that the prize pool in 2021 was as high as $40 million, whereas the most recent event offered just over $3 million. The International will still remain one of the most well known events in online gaming though, even if other titles begin to grab their own time in the limelight.
League of Legends World Championship
Mobile gaming might be the big new thing on the block but it is League of Legends (LoL) that continues to draw the most viewers and gamers – and that is especially true of its annual World Championship tournament. LoL has always been one of the most popular games in the world, thanks partly to its profile in both the West and the East, and it remains at the top.
The most recent World Championship was actually the biggest ever, with over 6 million viewers making it the most watched esports event of all time. There are many reasons why LoL continues to attract fans and the 2023 edition also benefitted from its location, the entrants, and the fact that the playing community is extremely active in promoting its big event.
Figure 2 Tournaments are an excellent chance for gamers to watch their heroes in action
While other big esports titles have experienced a fall in viewership and gaming numbers in recent years, LoL continues to pave the way for esports events.
MLBB SEA Cup
Although League of Legends is still the undisputed king of esports, we thought we would round off this look at the biggest events and tournaments with another visit to the world of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. It is obvious that this title has put mobile gaming on the map and will surely lead a number of other mobile titles into future top tens when it comes to tournament viewing numbers.
Capitalizing on its incredible support in South East Asia, this event attracted a peak viewership of 3.65 million and became the most watched event ever in Cambodia. There is undoubtedly a huge fan base in that part of the world but Mobile Legends: Bang Bang – and other mobile titles – are beginning to become more popular everywhere all the time. It would not be a huge surprise if the 2024 top ten consisted of even more mobile games.
