The eSports industry has now, without doubt, established itself as a massive global industry with distinct appeal to fans and third-party companies, such as advertisers, alike. Now, the billion-dollar industry is still in its infancy and going through some growing pains, but as far as the outward-facing product goes, everything’s already in place.
Canada has been able to establish itself as a hub for the international eSports scene. Not only does the nation host several high-profile global and domestic tournaments, but its stars have been piling into the action, becoming owners of eSport team companies. Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Mitch Marner has joined musician The Weeknd in becoming owners of OverActive Media, who run Toronto teams in Overwatch and Call of Duty.
Now, Canada’s eSports industry is reaching the next tier of its existence, where it grows into a scene akin to other sports. More third-party involvement and better structure around the core property is coming, helping it grow into its potential.
An unsurprising rise to prominence in Canada
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The Great White North has a long-established gaming community, with the domestic industry contributing around $3.7bn to Canada’s GDP three years ago, with it continuing to grow in the years since. The accessibility of consoles, computers capable of playing the best games, and now mobiles has enabled Canadians all over to embrace their inner gamer, with over half of Canadians identifying as a gamer of some kind.
Canada’s first dedicated eSports gaming stadium was opened in 2019, establishing an official hub for competitive gamers in the country. The Gaming Stadium, situated in Richmond, British Columbia, stages many events and seats up to 2,500 live spectators. Just a year prior, the year after year record-breaker for an eSports prize pool, DOTA 2’s The International, was held in the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
In Canada, the most popular eSports games are Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, StarCraft II, Overwatch, and DOTA 2, with there being 19 teams alone on CS:GO. As for individuals, there are many more professional players earning on StarCraft II; however, it’s the 32 DOTA 2 players who stack up as the most successful bunch, at least in a monetary sense, with them combining for a mighty $9.4 million in earnings. Atop the standings for Canadians in earnings, Fly, Aui 2000, and Arteezy have earned between $1.92 million and $2.31 million.
A growing scene of eSports in Canada
While the establishment of successful teams like Luminosity Gaming, the Vancouver Titans, and Team NP has been key to the growth of eSports in Canada, it’s the surrounding features that keep fans engaged and money coming into the industry. As you would assume, having quick and easy access to the competitions is key. Hosting the tournaments in the country always helps, but access to live streams at peoples’ convenience and other ways to engage are essential.
Twitch is now well-known as the go-to place for eSports, with over 1.5 million Canadians said to be watching eSports contests at least once per month now. With the industry growing, third parties are seeking ways to offer something to fans and players, which strengthens the scene as a whole. To meet the demand of the fans, several of the best Canadian betting sites for sports include their own in-depth eSports betting section. It enables viewers to engage with the live streams differently, giving them a more invested interest in a team or match.
Along with the betting sites, several other third-parties are looking for ways that they can offer their services to help solidify the eSports industry for expansion. Another example is that of lawyers. Canadian law firm MKM Group is working to professionalize and formalize the sector by creating a standard for the rights of players, player contracts, as well as its standing in areas of existing Canadian law, such as advertising, marketing, privacy, and corporate law.
As more and more companies weigh-in to further establish and expand eSports, Canada will continue to grow in prominence as a hub of the industry.
