Who Owns Esports? The Billion-Dollar Question

The esports industry is growing rapidly and is estimated to be worth billions of dollars. But who owns esports? The answer is not so simple.

Introduction

The global esports economy will grow to $696 million in 2017, up 38% from last year, according to market research firm Newzoo. But despite its growth, the industry faces a big question: Who actually owns esports?

The esports industry is still nascent, and it’s not clear yet who will emerge as the key players. There are a few key stakeholders, but no one group has a clear-cut majority stake.

The three most important stakeholders in esports are game publishers, tournament organizers, and team organizations.

Game publishers are the companies that make the games that are played in esports competitions. They include heavyweights like Riot Games (League of Legends), Blizzard Entertainment (Overwatch), and Valve Corporation (Dota 2). Game publishers have a lot of control over the games that are played in esports competitions, so they have a lot of influence over the industry as a whole. However, they don’t necessarily have a majority stake in esports.

Tournament organizers are the companies that run esports competitions. They include major leagues like ESL and DreamHack, as well as smaller companies like Major League Gaming (MLG) and The Capitalist League. Tournament organizers have a lot of control over the format and rules of competitions, so they have a lot of influence over the industry as well. However, they don’t necessarily have a majority stake in esports either.

Team organizations are companies that field teams of players who compete in esports tournaments. The most famous team organization is probably Cloud9, which has teams across a variety of games including League of Legends, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Team organizations have less control over the industry than game publishers or tournament organizers, but they still have a significant stake in esports.

What are esports?

Most people think of esports as competitive video gaming, and while that is certainly a large part of it, there is much more to the world of esports. Esports is short for “electronic sports,” and it refers to any type of competitive gaming that is played using electronic devices. This can include everything from console games like Madden NFL to PC games like Overwatch to mobile games like Clash Royale. Essentially, if a game can be played competitively using electronic devices, it can be considered an esport.

The esports industry

The esports industry is growing rapidly and attracting big investments from traditional sporting organisations, media companies, and brands. But who really owns esports?

The answer to this question is far from clear, and it is a subject of much debate within the esports community.

There are a number of different organisations that could lay claim to being the owner of esports. These include the game publishers, who create and distribute the games that esport athletes compete in; the tournament organisers, who run the events where athletes compete; the teams, who sign athletes to compete in tournaments; and the broadcasting companies, who produce and sell the rights to broadcast esports tournaments.

However, none of these organisations has a clear or undisputed ownership of esports. Instead, they each have their own distinct interests in the industry.

Game publishers:
The game publishers are responsible for creating and distributing the games that esport athletes compete in. They also control the rules of those games, and often have a say in which tournaments are held and how they are structured. However, they do not directly control or manage any teams or athletes.

Tournament organisers:
The tournament organisers are responsible for running events where esports athletes compete. They work with game publishers to secure the rights to host specific tournaments, and with teams and athletes to fill those tournaments with competitors. However, they do not own any teams or athletes themselves.

Teams:
Teams are organisations that sign individual esports athletes to compete in tournaments on their behalf. They typically provide those athletes with salaries, training facilities, and other resources. Some teams also own their own gaming venues and produce their own content (such as YouTube videos). However, they do not directly control or manage any tournaments or broadcasters.

Broadcasting companies:
Broadcasting companies produce and sell the rights to broadcast live esports tournaments to television networks or streaming platforms like Twitch. They typically work with tournament organisers to secure those rights, but do not directly control or manage any teams or athletes.

The business of esports

The business of esports is booming.

According to a report from business intelligence firm Newzoo, the global esports economy will grow to $696 million this year, up 41.3% from 2017. By 2020, Newzoo predicts, the economy will be worth $1.5 billion.

Who owns esports? That’s a billion-dollar question.

There are a few different types of organizations in the esports space: game publishers, teams, leagues, tournament organizers, and media companies.

Game publishers are the companies that make the video games that are played in esports competitions. They include big names like Riot Games (League of Legends), Blizzard Entertainment (Overwatch), and Valve Corporation (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive). These companies are often times also the ones who run and operate the leagues for their respective games.

Teams are made up of professional gamers who compete in esports tournaments. The most well-known teams in the world include Cloud9, TSM, and Optic Gaming. These organizations are typically sponsored by businesses that want to get involved in the world of esports. Teams typically have rosters for each of the different games they compete in and will often field multiple rosters for a single game.

Leagues are organized competitions in which teams compete against each other for prizes and glory. The two biggest leagues in esports right now are Major League Gaming (MLG) and ELEAGUE. These leagues typically have multiple seasons throughout the year in which teams compete for points; at the end of the season, the team with the most points qualifies for a spot in a playoff tournament where they can win even more money. There are also many smaller leagues and tournaments that teams can compete in to try to make a name for themselves.

Tournament organizers are businesses that put on esports events. They work with game publishers, teams, and leagues to help create a schedule of events that will take place throughout the year. Some of the biggest tournament organizers right now include ESL and DreamHack. These businesses also help to secure sponsorships and prize money for these events so that teams can make a living off of playing video games professionally.

Media companies like Twitch and YouTube Gaming provide platforms for people to watch esports tournaments online. These companies typically have deals with game publishers or tournament organizers so that they can livestream events or create highlights packages that can be watched on demand at any time after an event has taken place. Some media companies also produce original content surrounding esports such as documentaries or reality shows following particular teams or players

The future of esports

With the growing popularity of esports, there is a lot of speculation about its future. One of the biggest questions is who will ultimately control it.

right now, there is no one central body that governs esports. This has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it allows for a lot of innovation and creativity in how games are played and structured. On the other hand, it can also lead to a lot of confusion and disagreement about rules and regulations.

In the past, most esports competitions were organized by game developers or third-party tournament organizers. However, this is starting to change as more traditional sports leagues are getting involved. For example, the NBA has launched its own professional esports league for the game NBA 2K. And it’s not just the NBA – other major sports leagues such as the NHL, MLB, and MLS are all considering getting involved in esports.

The involvement of traditional sports leagues could be a major turning point for esports. It could bring in much needed structure and organization. But it could also mean that Esports becomes more exclusive and less accessible to casual players and fans. It’s still too early to say exactly how things will play out, but it’s definitely an exciting time for the world of esports!