Esports continue to make all the headlines when it comes to professional gaming. Although there are plenty of excellent titles that are not considered esports, the sheer amount of money invested in global tournaments and competitions has made esports the most important game around.
Gone are the days of the video game championships of the 1970s, when local businesses would offer a prize for the best gamer in town. Now esports events sell out huge stadiums – and the gamers are as professional as in any traditional sport. There is some serious money and status at stake when it comes to the biggest events in the world of esports.
The increase in gamers – and their fans – has captured the interest of people outside the traditional gaming community as well. Now people can bet their sportsbook bonuses on the potential winners of the events, as the profile of esports grows even bigger. Who knows how big this area of gaming will get in the coming years?
Dota 2 – The International
This is possibly the esports event that all others aspire to be. The International is the final event of the Dota Pro Circuit and brings together the best Dota 2 teams in the world to compete for one of the biggest prize pools in global gaming. The format has changed a little over the years, but there are now 20 teams that are invited – or qualify – for this prestigious event.
The grand prize was already a fairly impressive $1 million when The International was launched back in 2011. The interest grew over the years, with events being held all over the world. There was no competition in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, but The International came back even stronger the next year, with 18 teams challenging to win a share of a record $40 million prize pool in Bucharest.
Although the competition grew even bigger last year, it was the first time that the prize pool hadn’t surpassed the previous event. It is still one of the highest profile events on the esports calendar though, with Twitch providing a comprehensive live stream package in a variety of languages.
League of Legends World Championship
The Worlds may not be able to compete with the prize money of The International, but it can claim to be the most watched and streamed esports event, with a peak of around 4 million viewers recorded. Staged by League of Legends developers, Riot Games, the event has been rotated around some of the game’s hotspots – such as South Korea, the US, and Europe.
Apart from putting on one of the biggest shows in the esports calendar, the Worlds is also known for the incredible trophy that is awarded to the winners. Riot Games originally specified that the Summoner’s Cup should weigh 70 pounds, although it may have ended up being a little lighter to allow the champion to actually lift it. To show just how mainstream esports have become, Riot signed a deal with high-end jewelers Tiffany last year, to create a new trophy weighing in at just 44 pounds.
South Korea remains a hotbed for League of Legends players and the most recent event was won by one of the underdogs from the country, DRX. They beat the most successful team in the title’s history, TI, in the finals.
Fortnite World Cup
Fortnite is the esport that is probably known by more people than any other. The game became a global brand soon after its release, with its cartoon characters and celebrity skins earning Epic Games a fortune. Unfortunately, the Fortnite World Cup was a victim of the COVID pandemic and it has not returned since the inaugural 2019 event.
The event was split into two competitions – one for solo players and one for duos. In both categories, the first prize was $3 million and the famous Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City staged the event. Around 2.3 million people watched the Fortnite World Cup at its peak but there has been no attempt to stage another event since.
Valorant Champions Tour
Although Valorant is a relative newcomer to the world of esports, Riot Games have invested heavily in making the title one of the most played around the world – and the Valorant Champions Tour was launched in 2021 to capitalize on the popularity of the first-person shooter game.
With a series of tiers and qualifiers building to Masters and Champions finals, the Valorant Champions Tour has already proved to be a success. Over one million people viewed the grand finals in its first year. Riot is still changing the format of the leagues and the regions every year at the moment. But there is no doubt that the audience is there – and it would not be a surprise if this became one of the biggest in the gaming world over the next few years
Call of Duty League
Call of Duty is gaining popularity as an esport, although its world championships do not get quite the viewership as some of the others on this list. The Call of Duty League is probably the biggest event for this title and has been going since 2020. Out of all of the esports tournaments, this one is more like a pro sports league in the format of the competition.
Ten teams based in US cities are joined by one from London and one from Toronto to play against each other in a league system, before moving to playoffs to determine the overall winner. The prize money is growing, so there is hope for this event to grow in the coming years.
FIFAe World Cup
Finally, a mention of an event that has been forced to change due to the falling out between FIFA, the organization that looks after world football, and EA Sports, the makers of the incredibly popular game. The FIFAe World Cup actually became the largest online esports tournament as far as entrants went. But there will now be a new EA tournament with its new title as the game of choice.
