The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2024 is the biggest esports event to date, culminating in the best and most favorite titles in a place. While esports just started to get huge recognition in world entertainment and become a more mainstream career path for the new generation, we heard another astonishing news. For the first time in history, the Greatest Show on Earth aka the Olympic Games is going to host an exclusive esports edition in 2025. As the Esports World Cup 2024 is over now and 2025 is peeking to appear with its appealing event of Olympic Esports Games, we tried to take a look at their impact in the esports world, especially in mobile gaming.
Mobile Gaming earned its place to be recognized
Mobile gaming never gets the highlight that it should receive. But the days are new, we’re living in a new era of technology and this handheld device is getting day-by-day uprising in the gaming arena. As technology witnessed a rapid transition in modern times, mobile devices have become way more powerful to be stuck into daily work and use. Rather, they’re bringing the top-notch titles in the palm of our hands.
So, I would not say that this is a new trend to play on mobile. Rather, mobile gaming earned its place as a distinctive platform and is considered in mainstream gaming. And, with the latest titles from global giants such as NetEase, Tencent, MOONTON, etc. the esports sector also bloomed in full.
If you wonder why I’m supporting this much for mobile gaming, the global acceptance says it all alleging my statements regarding this particular area. The recent commencement of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2024 and its astonishing stats are enough to prove my points.
Saudi proves again to be the top contender for global esports hub
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2024 is a groundbreaking event in esports history. It has redefined the structure and shown that an esports event can be this big and feature a humongous prize pool. Not only these, but the accommodation of that many teams, organizing a large-scale event, and maintaining the craze- I mean, the whole event was unbelievable.
Saudi Arabia has already proven its worth and capability in arranging tournaments like this. Now the country is ready to strengthen its worth to a new height. A new level of sports is rising before the globe. The first step was announcing the Olympic Esports Games in 2025 after the signing of a recent partnership between Saudi and the IOC. “Saudi Arabia is hugely excited by the prospect of partnering with the IOC and helping to welcome a completely new era for international sport,” said HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sport and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Suppose you’re an esports fan or even love to play games, grew up from the arcade games era to this modern time when 8k gaming is possible, or even if you fall into the gen-z category. In that case, it’s no doubt that most of the generation are attached to video games.
Later, the stage got a bit bigger. We got to know the esports athletes and the teams. I remember the early age times when I used to make a list of games in my notebook and then search for those to install and play. Like everyone else, I got to know the professional stage and got attached to it.
However, it’s great news for all of us to become a witness of these marvel events. Both the EWC 2024 and the upcoming Olympic Esports Games will lay a strong foundation for mobile gaming. It will ensure the sustainability of this platform, attract more investors, develop new initiatives, rethink the approach, create jobs, and have numerous other positive effects.
While we know everything about the just concluded event in Saudi Arabia, we’re still a long way behind to know about the next big event in 2025. But considering the organizers and their success in this arena, and the special focus on featuring mobile titles on these platforms, we can say that mobile gaming will receive a heavy impact from these two events. I will try to take a look at the potential impacts.
Impact on Mobile Gaming after these major events showcase
The Esports World Cup made a blast in its inaugural event. It became the most-watched event in 2024 with a massive 500 million viewers. Besides, fans consumed a whopping 250 million hours and over 2 million viewers have attended the event. The craze is not unreal but rather expected.
Imagine an esports event combining a total of 21 titles under the same roof on the same stage. The madness, the hype, the goosebumps are on a new level. And if I can draw your attention to the mobile gaming part, the prize pool marked a decent share. Not only the monetary value but the viewership is heavily affected by the mobile titles.
Take Mobile Legends: Bang Bang for example. The title is the most successful game in the event, featuring the Mid-season Cup 2024. With 2.38m peak viewers and an average of 406,000 viewers, it dominated the EWC 2024 and marked mobile gaming as a strong field in the coming days.
Titles like PUBG Mobile in the PMWC 2024 and Honor of Kings in the Mid-season Invitational Season 2 also gathered a huge number of views. The appeal of mobile gaming is again proved before the world. Apart from the viewership and money, let me brief you on the other values and impact that the Esports World Cup and Olympic Games will create.
Popularity and Acceptance
The soon-to-be-arrived Olympic Esports Game will boost the popularity of mobile games heavily. Though the mobile games industry is already massive in size the attention to watching these titles on screen is something else. While many gamers play games on mobile to get a quick refreshment or entertainment, the 2025 event will change the view to another aspect.
“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,” said Abdulaziz Alnaghmoosh, Director of BD, Manga Productions.
The acceptance of mobile gamers will also increase a lot. We know that Olympic Games participants are the countries and when these countries will send teams to the event, there will be government-backed initiatives and new policies will be taken to develop the gaming-based sectors.
Investment and Sponsorship
We have already witnessed big signings between companies and publishers. Saudi is the pioneer I would say, hovering their influence all over the world. The Saudi Esports Federation has recently signed a partnership with MONTOON Games, and a few months back the federation signed another with Qiddiya.
Let’s take a look outside the Saudi Kingdom. There will be numerous partnerships if the developers decide to come into the newest regions that are going to participate in the Olympic Esports Games 2025. Besides, new teams will be formed and they’ll bring sponsorships. The impact of the Esports World Cup and the Olympic Games doesn’t stop here, you will see it yourself.
We asked several industry leaders about the impact of esports in the Olympics. “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,” said Benjamin Kratsch, Management Consultant Ministry of Sports, Saudi Arabia.
Development and Innovation
Following the first point mobile gaming, when the governments will start supporting gamers, they will focus on the development of this sector. We might see the future establishment of new game developers, studios, or even the leading publishers to come forward.
So, this will open the door to innovation. New think tanks will appear and will lead to making the genres more dynamic.
Community Building
Mobile Gaming if gets such acceptance, there will be grassroots communities and development centers to surprise the video game industry. The rural and urban youths will get new plans for choosing their careers and also new jobs will be created. Thus, we will see massive communities to be built, backed by small communities. The communication, support, and co-activities will be something very praisable.
Saudi Arabia is the leading country to push the gaming world to a new level
Saudi Arabia is taking a shift from the oil-based economy which has been made clear before the whole world. Soon, when the oil reserves are empty, the country will need something to maintain the lavish lifestyle and aurora that it has now. Thus, it is taking all the steps necessary to keep the economy rolling as it is now.
One of the ways to stay a global hub is through entertainment so the country is taking every possible initiative to do so. Thus, it is incorporating the gaming industry and a part of it is to lead the esports sector. And, Saudi is, so far, very much successful. From the global and leading game events to building a separate city for gaming, the aim to become a hub of gaming and esports is not an idea anymore. Rather, Saudi showed the proof to make it happen as a pioneer.
Final Thoughts
So, as we know the impacts of the EWC 2024 and the Olympic Esports Game 2025 on mobile gaming, we can expect to witness much drama and exciting news in the future. Not only the industry will rise but there will also be massive growth in everything associated with the industry. Overall, the future is looking bright for games, players, companies, etc.
Read our other editorials 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
- New State Mobile New Era mode update might be the much-needed oxygen for its future
- GamingonPhone’s Mobile Esports Year in Review 2023
Are you a mobile games fan? Do share your thoughts on the Impact of the Esports World Cup and Olympic Esports Games on mobile gaming. Cheers!
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