ESports In Olympics: Decoding Growing Popularity Of Competitive Gaming

With an objective to promote ESports internationally, the International Olympic Committee has entered into an agreement with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia to host the maiden season of Olympic ESports Games in 2005. This is following the Olympics Executive Board’s proposal for creation of ESports Olympics.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has hosted over 1,700 elite players from over 80 countries, through major international tournaments in the last two years, including the first edition of the ESports World Cup.

Expanding Avenue 

The launch of ESports Olympics heralds a new chapter in the rapidly growing industry to competitive gaming. It is a testimony to the increasing popularity of iGaming across the world.  Players in the ESports category grew four-times between 2021 and 2022 from 150,000 to 600,000 and in future the number is estimated to reach 15,00, 000 by the end of 2027.

IOC President Thomas Bach said, “This is truly a new era for the IOC. With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution. The ESports community, represented in our ESports Commission, has enthusiastically engaged with this initiative. This is further proof of the attractiveness of the Olympic brand and the values it stands for among young people. The NOC of Saudi Arabia will bring great – if not unique – experience in the field of ESports to this project. This partnership is based on the Olympic Charter and the Olympic values.”

The ESport industry has evolved as a cultural phenomenon that grew out of the younger generations’ love for video games and then watching great competitions. It promises a great entertainment value as well as forging competitive spirit among gamers.

The rising popularity of ESports have also attracted investors as new innovations and fine technology has shaped the landscape of competitive gaming.  

ESports industry made a boom during the Covid-19 pandemic period where natives were forced to live indoors. With traditional outdoor sports at bay, it was the iGaming that kept the generation engaged.

As per Newzoo reports, there had already been a significant increase in ESports viewership since 2016, both occasional viewers and enthusiasts. Between 2018 and 2019, there was a 12.3% increase year over year. In 2019, there were 200.8 million occasional viewers and 197 million ESports enthusiasts, making the total audience 397.8 million. The year-over-year growth continued through 2020 and 2021. In 2022 there were 249.5 million occasional viewers and 240.0 million ESports enthusiasts, a combined ESports audience of 532.0 million.