Esports is now an official sport for the Olympics. This huge acknowledgment of esports will probably change the fate of the industry over the next couple of years. On this occasion, we at GamingonPhone reached out to the esports industry leaders to hear and understand their opinions.
We asked the experts, “As esports gains recognition as an Olympic sport, what significant impacts do you anticipate on the global esports market and related industries? Additionally, how do you envision the future of esports evolving with this newfound Olympic status and the potential changes it might bring to the ecosystem?” Here is what they think:
Benjamin Kratsch, Management Consultant Ministry of Sports, Saudi Arabia
There is something very special about the Olympic movement—entire countries unite behind their athletes. Why is the US Olympic Swimming Team suddenly famous? They are on CNN, FOX, and NBC Sports. They are treated like celebrities. They play on the biggest stage classic sports can provide. And we aim to do the same with virtual sports which is esports.
Esports World Cup Foundation CEO Ralf Reichert said in a recent press conference, “The biggest stars are built on the biggest stages in the world, and that’s what we aim to build.” The Kingdom is doing this right now, as we speak, in the two months of the Esports World Cup, with a 60M US-Dollar price pool and 1.500 athletes attending, and we’ve already enjoyed a lot of these moments.
Recently, the all-female squad Omega Empress won the Esports World Cup in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, taking home 180.000 USD. Their team captain gave a very emotional speech about their journey. If only a couple thousand teenagers out of these millions watching the Esports World Cup get inspired to follow their dreams and aim to become champs one day themselves, we’ve achieved a lot. They will work hard, stay fit, eat healthy, and learn to operate as a team.
Now, the Esports World Cup is a classic esports format—just as Real Madrid or Al-Hilal recruit the best global talent, esports organizations do the same. The Olympic Esports Games is a national series – the best athletes from each country compete, creating an entirely new dynamic, alliances, and fanbases.
The Olympics are also a pop cultural festival. At the Paris Olympics 2024, LeBron James carries the Olympic torch, dressed in main sponsor Louis Vuitton. The Olympic Esports Games 2025 will bring a lot of attention, new target groups, sponsors, media partnerships, and celebrities to the Kingdom and ultimately grow the ecosystem.
The Olympic movement will bring esports games to the Olympics. Why not build the next big stage for the best stars in NBA 2K 2025, EA Sports FC, and Tennis Esports on Meta Quest 3? Bring all those celebrities from the classic sports world together with the virtual one for one massive celebration, together with the biggest titles in traditional esports. Combining worlds, building bridges. We just had Neymar over at the Esports World Cup, and he had a blast.
Abdulaziz Alnaghmoosh, Director of BD, Manga Productions
With esports gaining Olympic recognition, expect a surge in mainstream acceptance, sponsorships, and investments, boosting the global esports market. The industry will likely see enhanced regulations, improved player welfare, and increased cross-industry collaborations. However, the biggest challenge might be balancing the traditional sports audience’s expectations with esports culture, managing higher expectations, and ensuring fair play and inclusivity in a rapidly evolving landscape.
James Yang, Senior Director of Global Esports Center, Level Infinite, Tencent Games
As esports gains recognition as an Olympic sport, we anticipate a significant elevation in its global market perception. The inclusion in the Olympics will bestow great honor upon players, offering them a platform to represent their countries akin to traditional athletes.
This move may lead to improved recognition and pride within the esports community. To ensure a substantial impact, popular titles with authentic gameplay should feature in the Olympic esports lineup. While discussions and challenges lie ahead, this decision marks a pivotal moment in esports history, potentially reshaping the ecosystem for the better.
Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO, KRAFTON India
KRAFTON welcomes the IOC’s initiative to introduce Olympic Esports games, marking a significant
milestone for the global esports community. This development underscores esports’ growing influence
and recognition in India and on the world stage. As an industry, we recognize the need to come together
and create an infrastructure and ecosystem that nurtures the skills of Esports athletes, enabling them to
reach and excel at international standards.
We believe this initiative will inspire and propel our local talents and stakeholders, fostering greater
opportunities and visibility on a global platform. Furthermore, this move will also help in creating a
structured Esports policy and nurture the ecosystem in the country, which will benefit the industry by
providing clear guidelines and support for growth.
Sultan Alsaad, Founder & CEO at Tuwaiq Esports
As esports gains recognition as an Olympic sport, the global esports market and related industries are poised for significant impacts. National and international governing bodies will become the biggest beneficiaries, gaining control similar to football federations, and securing financial support through government grants and sponsorship deals.
This shift will likely foster closer collaboration between publishers and governing bodies, leading to globally unified regulations that satisfy both parties. Issues such as player compensation during Olympic participation will need to be addressed, drawing parallels to the FIFA World Cup’s compensation model. In the future, we may see a reduction in publisher-led tournaments, replaced by governing body-organized events where publishers receive annual licensing fees for their intellectual properties.
The potential merger of global esports federations, such as the IESF and GEF, into a single global entity akin to FIFA, along with the establishment of regional confederations and national governing bodies, could further streamline and enhance the esports ecosystem.
Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports
It’s great to see the confirmation of the Olympic Esports Games by the IOC. This initiative not only mainstreams esports but also helps to remove any lingering stigma surrounding it. By bringing global attention and legitimizing esports on such a prestigious platform, we at Skyesports are excited about the immense opportunities this presents. It reaffirms our commitment to fostering growth and excellence in the esports industry, both in India and worldwide.
Marcus Lim, Senior Regional PR Manager, MOONTON Games
These are positive steps forward for esports. We have in recent years witnessed how esports has grown from a niche entertainment segment into a global phenomenon. Now, millions of people tune in to the world’s biggest titles, such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). This partnership endorses esports as a mainstream performance sport that can hold its own in multi-sport events.
With this esports inclusion, the Olympics can expect a surge in interest from young fans and audiences. It also opens new commercial opportunities for players within the esports ecosystem as well as for non-endemic brands and communities.
The big question now is: ‘Which video game titles will be included?’ As the most popular mobile esports game in the world, MLBB will certainly bring tremendous value should it be a part of the Olympic Esports Games 2025.
Paulo Roberto Ribas, Advisor, Global Esports Federation
To be succinct, I need to say that this Olympic recognition was a very complex and difficult construction, and even acceptance by the community that started and practices electronic sports – or games – for leisure and profession, since the end of the last century, back to the 90s.
The community believed that games would not need regulation or be in the federative system to continue playing for leisure or evolving as a competitive practice.
Historically, several “sports” – as electronic games are recognized today – have gone through this process of breaking paradigms with the community that starts practice for fun and after its universal dissemination (for example surfing, skateboarding, dances such as breakdance), and the global market turns its attention to this and starts to invest, support and participate in growth.
The IOC saw the involvement of the young gaming community, which today has more than 3 billion people who participate in some way in electronic games, as well as large investors, sponsors, and game producers who invest billions of dollars in the scene, could also participate in the Olympic movement, with attention to the consecrated and armored “Olympic spirit” defended since the first Olympic Games of the modern era.
The global electronic sports market and the gaming industry, which is already thriving, is gaining new momentum and will certainly continue to attract more investments from large organic or non-organic brands, bringing new opportunities for participation and work for various professionals who wish to pursue careers in related sectors.
I, as a professional who has participated in this Olympic movement since the XIX Pan American Games Rio 2007 and has participated in the work on Brazil’s candidacy for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, can imagine that the evolution towards the future of esports with this new Olympics status will bring new encouragement, boosting great opportunities for players, clubs and national and international federations who have been striving and paved these paths since 2015, and Brazil actively participates, I must say, to obtain this brand of “Olympic hoops”, bringing great changes to the entire ecosystem.
You can read our other articles on mobile esports:
- Mobile Esports is confined to a few titles, others face hardship in getting attention
- Exploring the trend to shift to becoming a content creator after a successful esports career
- Mobile esports in India in 2023: The rise and regression
What are your thoughts on the recognition of esports in the Olympics? Let us know in the comments.
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