The year 2024 was an important one for esports in so many ways. The industry almost crossed the $1 billion mark in net revenue, making for a truly impressive milestone all things together. College esports have become more popular, and the esports betting industry has had an upsurge as indicated by the sheer volume of interest going in dota2-bets.com and similar services.
Betting on Dota 2 today is no longer a taboo, and if anything, Dota 2 betting has been around since the late 2000s when GosuGamers, a website focusing on the early esports community, offering a special betting system. In any event, the changes that have come to the esports segment are hardly just to do with the fact that you can bet on Dota 2, CS: GO, League of Legends, or any other popular game.
College Esports Are More Popular
In 2024 we saw many college sports take a backseat, and that is okay. However, a solution has arrived soon enough, with more colleges embracing their varsity programs and bringing talented esports players as part of their student body.
As it turns out, college sports are exceptionally popular, and colleges truly are embracing them as a way to diversify their student body and tap into what they say as an opportunity of the future.
Most esports trained and practiced in colleges today include Dota 2, League of Legends, and CS: GO, Fortnite, and Overwatch. However, there are many great games that have a special place in college competitions, including:
- Rocket League
- Smite
- Brawlhalla
- Super Smash Brothers
New titles are being included almost daily, and colleges are now looking to attract some of the most talented professional gamers out there, not only as part of their student body but also as coaches, analysts, and more. This brings us to the next big change for 2024 in the esports ecosystem.
The opportunity to have a career in esports.
A Job in Esports Has Become a Viable Career Path
The interest in esports careers started showing strong symptoms of growth in 2024, but in 2024, esports jobs in demand are many and important enough to command interest. We are talking about video editors, writers, tournament hosts, coaches, ancillary staff, executives, and more.
The truth is that interest from big sports executives in esports organizations as an entertainment product has soared to the point where we are seeing white-collar professionals leave the biggest sports leagues to lead Dota 2 teams or entire organizations.
However, a career in esports is not just viable for someone who has run a big operation. Many college students can have their place in the ecosystem, and this is fantastic and one of the best changes in esports that 2024 has brought around.
Mobile Esports Have Exploded
Interest in mobile gaming has always been big, and truth be told, there are more mobile gamers in the world than there are console or PC gamers put together. Of course, PC gamers would not call mobile gamers such.
However, the truth is that mobile gaming and competitive gaming, in particular, is taking off. Sure enough, you probably won’t play Dota 2 from your smartphone or tablet, but there are plenty of games that can be played from handheld devices, and they are all fantastic and worthwhile.
Such games include Mobile Legends: Bang, Bang, Brawl Heroes, Clash Royale, and many other titles that are now becoming competitive video gaming medium and that more and more players worldwide are more than happy to give an honest shot to.
Online Esports Tournaments Are a Success
While many feared that 2024 would completely disrupt esports and make it impossible for big events to continue, this has almost not come to pass. Sure, Dota 2 had to cancel The International, but the trade-off was worth it.
The current prize pool is $40 million, making it the biggest on record, and this means that someone is looking to bag a very solid share of the pie. Even making it in the first four teams is enough to set an organization for a very long time.
While The International wasn’t there for us, we all got to enjoy Epic League, which became the most watched Dota 2 event. We are talking about some serious viewership, but more importantly, it has become apparent that esports can really handle all the pressure and have successful runs online.
More esports are going to return to LAN events, but whenever necessary, after 2024, we will be 100% sure that organizations such as WePlay! will be absolutely capable of pulling off some exciting and actionable solutions that elevate the viewership experience for everyone.
The Esports Betting Industry Rises
With Dota 2 pulling in a lot of interest this year, we saw quite a bit of esports betting go hand-in-hand with that. The truth is many esports fans have come to appreciate how fun it can be to back your favorite Dota 2 team.
Meanwhile, mainstream companies were caught really off-guard with the lack of sports events, and they saw in Dota 2 and other popular esports an opportunity to save a bad year and turn it into success.
Well, traditional sports fans didn’t take as fondly to esports betting, but they didn’t have to. Esports fans have been betting more in 2024, and that is a good thing. Not everyone is betting for real money, either, which is even better.
In fact, many people are just having quite a bit of fun placing wagers left and right, as it leads to better immersion and bigger viewership overall. These two metrics are definitely welcome with esports hardly having reached its point of maturity.
This is not going to come for decades.
New Talent Has Emerged
Because so many people had to stay home in 2024 and because participating in video gaming competitions and playing games is free, we saw a huge upsurge of new talent from Fortnite to Overwatch.
Rookies have been able to break ground in the esports industry, pouring in much needed fresh blood. The meteoric rise of the esports industry has been good for everyone. Stakeholders are always excited to attract more viewership, fans, and even gifted players.
As the industry is developing, it becomes a place that is safer and more welcoming to newcomers as well. As a result, players who are new in esports can benefit from salaried positions within organizations, allowing them to really explore their full potential and never have a worry about their financial well-being.
Esports has changed a lot in 2024, and this is likely to continue in the next decades.
