There have been a multitude of new ideas that have gained traction and attention within the world of eSports of late. Of all the developments that have peaked and fizzled, some have proven they’re here to stay. We have seen this in the world of eSports betting, the rise of cryptocurrency, and, more recently, the emergence of mobile gaming as a genuine competition to some of the most well-established eSports leagues. 

Throughout the 2010s, it felt as though League of Legends would never be dislodged from its place at the top of the pile. It had fended off spirited competition from the likes of Dota 2 and Counter-Strike, and recently, it has only found itself overshadowed by a game that bears remarkable similarity, but appeals to mobile gamers more so than conventional home video console and PC gamers.

Channelling The Betting Markets

Professional video gaming can thank a lot of different factors for its incredible rise since the start of the last decade. However, the rise and continued success of the betting markets that underpin it is one of the biggest factors that has helped to sell it to a much broader audience. League of Legends (LoL), which established itself as the number one eSports for quite some time, is a microcosm of this success. 

The LoL section at Thunderpick showcases just how popular the market has now become. Some of their markets and derivatives have more selection than established professional sports that have been around for over a century. 

However, as the betting market started to go mobile in the mid-2010s, with apps and smartphones now the preferred medium of operation for bettors, it was up to eSports betting markets to adapt to this change as well. 

It’s not to say that the industry has gone mobile, far from it. The success of the Thunderpick World Championships, which netted a fine sum for Furia, as you can see in the link below, has spread the appeal out toward different forms of gaming and a bigger market that is catering to emerging markets, which have been growing significantly across South Asia and Latin America. 

What’s Behind The Growth?

The main driving force behind the rise of mobile gaming in eSports is that it has been able to increase the quality of its output. Even as of 2019, mobile gaming didn’t have the quality, game design, or depth to contest with the likes of League Of Legends, at least from the perspective of would-be investors, who would set on investing in the more sure-fire success stories, like League Of Legends, where millions of people were tuning in online to watch the tournaments and, in-person, they were selling out stadiums all over the world. 

Yes, it was a more convenient way to play. If you are somebody who takes public transport in a major city, then you will have encountered somebody playing a mobile game. It’s not an anomaly. However, from a professional competition standpoint, it didn’t have the market, the design quality, or the mass appeal to justify the launch of a widespread eSports market. 

One area that has been overlooked in eSports is the rise of competitive female gaming. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, or MLBB for short, has proven to be a hit for female gamers, and this has opened up the market to an entirely new demographic, in what, so far, has been a male-dominated market. 

Despite the lull in the industry, the eSports World Cup in Saudi Arabia, with a prize pool of $60 million, helped to cultivate and galvanize a raft of global gamers eager to get their hands on the life-changing sum of cash. 

Will Mobile Gaming Take Over?

No, that’s highly unlikely. A lot of the main factors behind the popularity and success of eSports have stemmed from home video console gaming and team gaming. Yes, mobile gaming has helped to add a new angle to this industry, but it would take an awful lot of momentum for it to become the primary way people watch and play eSports.

PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings are helping to provide more validity to mobile gaming in the world of eSports, but until it can challenge the combined might of League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota, and many of the most popular sports games that are starting to gain traction, then it is likely to provide another challenge for gaming companies to work with rather than completely eclipse the traditional sector. 

The popularity of the betting markets for MLBB and PUBG Mobile does suggest that there will be plenty of opportunities for eSports companies looking to shift some of their market toward mobile gaming, but it is essential not to lose sight of the games, teams, and ideas that have resulted in the enormous growth of eSports since the beginning of the 2010s. 

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