The European esports’ market is thriving with opportunities. There are more tournaments than ever, and new start-ups appear daily. Tech hubs are being created in different countries, allowing more partnerships across Europe. In this article, you’ll read about the latest developments in the esports’ market in the EU.

Understanding the Esports Market

Esports or e-sports are professional videogame competitions in a multiplayer environment. Since 2018, this industry enjoys a streak of yearly audience growth in Europe. This trend was confirmed in 2020 when everyone expected a crash because of the world crisis. Due to its virtual nature, this segment didn’t lose many audiences with the pandemic.

 In 2019, e-sports enjoyed a massive audience of around 443 million worldwide. Online casinos tapped into this new trend. If you do a quick search for kasino ilman talletusta (casino no deposit) in Finnish, you’ll find where you can bet on electronic sports.

Esports and Tech Companies

Tech companies around the world are watching those competitions closely. After all, it’s a billionaire business that’s still on the rise. Several start-ups and media companies want to broadcast those competitions. Streaming those competitions is one of the main challenges those tech companies have.

It’s because this kind of competition is focused on the player, not on the spectator. Even sports media moguls, such as ESPN, weighed in a rush for the best streaming system. Increasing the audience for those competitions is crucial for monetising the broadcasts.

Genvid Technologies is a start-up developing a new streaming system. It employs several cameras in different angles and interactive elements.

Esports in Europe

Despite not losing its audience, the business’ numbers shrunk compared to 2018 records. From an all-time high of €3,6 billion, the volume of transactions in 2018 dropped to €1,7 billion in 2019. Still, this market didn’t seem to feel the blow, and it keeps expanding.

Near Amsterdam, a massive tech hub complex called H2O has just opened its doors. It’s the largest of the kind in Europe, with an arena, gaming club, including VR games. H2O e-sports complex is currently the largest of its kind, but it’s not the only one. Similar initiatives are gaining space in countries like Finland and the UK. In this section, you’ll read more information about those markets.

What’s on in Finland?

Gambling is a natural part of the Finnish culture, where about 80% of the Finnish people gamble as a pastime. The increasing professionalisation of Finnish esports market has attracted regular sports gamblers. The Finnish are also enthusiastic e-sport players. The country was the fifth in the ranking from 2019, with more than 50 countries.

In 2019, the Finnish Olympic Committee included e-sports in the sports category. The Finnish Assembly also organises esports events every two years. In those competitions, players create teams to compete with other teams. Earnings in those competitions ranged between $58,000 and $223,849.

If you want to know more about esports in Finland, you must check what Auli Wälkky has to say. She’s a psychologist who’s an expert in online games and online interaction between players. Check her latest reviews and find out what’s on in Finland!

• Mobile Options

Esports games for mobile is still a developing field, but it makes excellent promises. There are only a few companies worldwide, dedicated to mobile esports. Critical Force is one of them, and it’s already reaping off the benefits. The company is located in Kajaani, but it’s already receiving international investment.

The South Korean company NHN Entertainment started investing in Critical Force in 2018. Today, the latter has opened a subsidiary in Seoul. The company’s most successful game is a first-person shooter game called Critical Ops. This game has already over 50 million downloads worldwide. In 2018, the company received funding of more than €5.4 million from Business Finland.

Esports in the UK

The UK Esports Market generates billionaire profits every year. It comes from a five-year upward trend, and nowadays, this segment’s revenue is about £1.57 billion. Yet, the British Esports Association thinks the UK isn’t keeping pace with other countries, despite being one of the Top5 markets in this field.

The main reason for this lag would be lack of sponsorship and investment, according to the Association. International-scale events, like the 2020 UEFA EURO esports competition are improving the situation.

Conclusion

The esports business is on the rise and is bound to attract more tech companies’ attention. There’s a massive potential for monetisation of those tournaments. From sports giants to tech start-ups, everyone wants a share of this incredibly profitable market.