It wasn’t long ago that eSports sat in a distinctly niche corner of the internet. Spurred on by the rising adoption of live streaming platforms and massively popular and accessible multiplayer games, an audience formed. Around them, savvy entrepreneurs were keen to create this brand-new sport and propel it to great heights.
As of 2025, the market value of the whole market clocked in at around $8.11 billion. That’s colossal, but what’s more impressive is how much it’s expected to grow. By 2034, the global eSports market size is tipped to reach over $48 billion. Its rise has been incredibly influential, but as the projections show, eSports is only getting bigger.
A Surging Market Encouraging Competitive Gaming
From the early days of local tournaments on League of Legends, StarCraft, and Counter-Strike to now, the core driver of eSports has always been that there is skill at play. Emphasising that skill and the strategic mind needed to succeed has been a big part of eSports gaining legitimacy. On top of this, the money involved is hard to deny.
Dota 2’s The International is the headline act when it comes to eSports prize pools, taking all seven of the biggest entries into the record books. Those prize pools range from 2021’s $40 million to 2015’s $18.4 million. All of the top ten entries gave out prize pools of $10 million or more.
Still, it’s very much the communal aspect of eSports that has bolstered the industry. It’s an incredibly accessible form of sporting entertainment, with professional leagues often shown for free online and the headline games also being free-to-play. Like with traditional sports, this means it’s easy both to experience hands-on and to watch for fun.
Competition is a huge driver of engagement in eSports, something that isn’t specific to the sport. In other columns of gaming, tournaments have been embraced as a big selling point. For example, online casinos offer a casino welcome bonus and daily tournaments as a package of promotions to encourage players to engage with the platform. So, new players get to sign up to get the bonus funds and the free spins, and then use those in the tournaments. Daily tournaments like these add another level to the experience of slots, with over 10,000 daily prizes available.
Promotions such as these, and competition created through game formats like live casino games, have changed engagement with online casino platforms, similarly to how competition and prize pools have impacted the eSports market.
Propelling the Future of eSports
A big part of eSports’ appeal right now is how diverse it has become. Building around the tentpole games like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike, there’s now a myriad of team shooters, driving games, mobile games, and more. In 2025, the likes of Deadlock, FragPunk, and Splitgate 2 will all try to cement themselves.
New releases that are accessible to players and promoted as major eSports with plenty of cash on the line will continue to grow eSports. Behind the scenes, it’s impossible to ignore the impact artificial intelligence could have. The tech could be applied to training, with AI offering advanced metric feedback and suitably adapt the gameplay.
When the challenge has ceased to be a challenge, AI programs like Mobalytics and Blitz can better enhance the difficulty. For accessibility, this could also allow for a lower point of entry to train people before they dive into multiplayer arenas. This would further grow eSports’ audience as more players means more potential viewers.
The rise of eSports has been tremendous and has even encouraged other industries to embrace the appeal of competition. However, the best may yet be to come, with the tech powering up and new titles entering the scene to grow the sport’s appeal further.
