Mobile eSports: a channel that presents opportunities for advertisers

The current COVID pandemic has fuelled eSports’ and mobile games growth. The median age for a mobile eSports gamer is around 29

Madrid, 23 July – The current COVID pandemic has fuelled eSports’ growth. Many traditional sports have been delayed or suspended completely, it has led many new gamers to investigate eSports, both as players and spectators.

According to the report ‘Evolution of Mobile eSports for the Mass Market’ published by Niko Partners, $161.3m (£121.2m) was distributed in pro eSports prize money in 2018. The action plays out on two channels: traditional PC and console; and mobile. While growth across both channels is good, according to the report, in 2018, mobile eSports games generated $15.3bn in revenues globally, just shy of the $16.1bn generated by PC eSports titles. That $15.3bn figure meant that global mobile eSports game revenues accounted for 25.2 per cent of total mobile game revenues. And in the first half of 2019, that proportion increased to 26.2 per cent.

The report reveals that he number of mobile gamers in the world in 2019 at 2.53bn, compared to 1.5 bn playing on P

Cs and consoles.

Growth factors

The factors behind the growth in mobile eSports revenues are many and varied, said Mobile Marketing. In mature markets, most adults and teenagers own a smartphone, while in emerging markets, smartphone penetration rates are rising fast. According to Statista, the current number of smartphone users in the world is 3.5 billion, which means that 44.85 per cent of the world’s population – of all ages – owns a smartphone. And when people get a smartphone, playing games is one of the things they tend to use it for.

Technology is playing a part too. As more countries roll out faster, higher-bandwidth 5G networks, playing, and watching others play games on mobile.

The mobile eSports audience

A research from Gaming Street reveals that the median age for a mobile eSports gamer is around 29, with 40 per cent of the audience aged between 25 and 34. What unites the mobile eSports audience is that they are enthusiastic, passionate and engaged with the games and the ads that accompany them, in a way they are not with traditional advertising. eSports is very much community-driven. The top players make themselves accessible to their audience, and as eSports moves more into the mainstream, they are becoming celebrities in their own right, opening up sponsorship opportunities for brands.

Advertising in mobile eSports games

Advertising in mobile eSports games takes many forms. It is a big opportunity sponsor an individual player or a team, said Mobile Marketing. When a tournament is broadcast, there are sponsored ad breaks, just as you would see for the broadcast of a live football match. eSports are also big on live events. While these are obviously not possible right now because the pandemic, when they are running, they attract huge audiences. There are branding opportunities at the venues for these big tournaments.

But for advertisers looking to engage with eSports fans at a time that suits them, non-interruptive ads, inserted natively into the game, probably offer the best opportunity. In a study carried out by Reach3, more than two out of five gamers who said they had looked up an advertiser after being exposed to an eSports sponsorship, and 41 per cent of respondents said they had a better impression of the brand or company as a result of an eSports activation.

eGoGames contributes to the growth of this industry. Organize mobile game competitions where skill is the only factor that determines victory. eGoGames distributes € 300,000 every month among its players from more than 121 countries.