With a huge surge in followers in recent years, esports has become an incredibly popular genre for gaming fans all over the world. Esports can be described as video game competitions where people compete against each other at live tournaments. With people becoming more interested in esports, it is worth taking a look at the most popular and highly anticipated esports games to see if they are worth the hype.
Looking Back at the Biggest eSports Games in 2023
Firstly, there are a wide variety of games that can be played at esports tournaments. From team-based multiplayer online battle games to single first-person shooter games, there is something for everyone to watch. These tournaments can even be a chance for people to showcase how much they know their poker rules. Some of these events even attract more than a million regular viewers meaning that becoming an esports athlete is a viable career option for many people.
One esports game that was received incredibly well by gamers and made its way into war zone esports competitions is Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. Released in November 2022, this version of the popular esports game allows people to experience a new map (Building 21) and a new mode (DMZ). Although the original Warzone can still be played, this version is ideal for top players who want to test their mettle in top tournaments. It attracts a large viewership with over 120,000 viewers on streaming platforms such as Twitch where people tune in to see how others perform in the game.
Furthermore, one of the biggest esports games to date is Dota 2 whose whose prize pool for all time was $308 688 084. Dota 2 is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena video game by Valve. The game follows Defense of the Ancients, a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Although it is known for its straightforward nature, it can also be quite challenging for those who want to master the game. For fans of the game, The Dota Pro Circuit is a professional esports tournament that allows Dota teams from around the world to take part. The aim is to win the tournament and get the title of the next International Dota 2 World Champions. This event attracts thousands of viewers, encouraging even more people to play the popular game.
Of course, no list of popular esports games would be complete without mentioning League of Legends. This is a multiplayer real-time strategy action game developed by Riot Games and released in 2009. It is commonly played by individuals such as Sang Hyeok Lee, Ho Seong Lee, Jun Sik Bae. It even has an exclusive tournament dedicated to the game called The League of Legends World Championship which is the annual professional League of Legends world championship tournament hosted by Riot Games. This tournament sees teams competing against each other for a multi-million-dollar prize as well as the Cup. It can be played by two teams consisting of either 3 or 5 players and their primary aim is to dismantle the “Nexus” of another team.
Moreover, Fortnite is another popular video game that dominates the esports scene. It is a battle-royal game made by Epic Games that has interesting gameplay modes and engaging graphics. This game is very popular with streamers and content creators and attracts a large viewership. Fortnite has even seen a tournament dedicated to it called The Fortnite World Cup which is an esports competition based on the video game Fortnite and has a total US$30 million prize pool.
On top of this, Nintendo games such as Super Smash Bros have been popular esports games within the genre of fighting. Smash Bros is a fighting game series that features a myriad of different characters from a host of Nintendo games. This game is diverse as it accommodates both single-play mode and multi-player mode meaning that there is something for everyone. The game has even made its way into esports circles with professional Super Smash Bros competitions. Amassing over 240,000 peak viewers in 2019, both Super Smash Bros Melee and Super Smash Bros Ultimate can be played competitively. Although Super Smash Bros may not be as established as other games, there is a high chance that it will be taken more seriously in the esports field in the future.
Overall, the global audience for esports is predicted to expand even more in the future as more attention is being given to the growing genre. With new games being released every year, it should be interesting to see how the esports landscape will change in the future and if esports tournaments will attract an even larger viewership.
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