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Mobile esports growth trends

 

Market of the mobile gaming is developing with huge speeds and outdistances the audience of classical PC and console games. It forced to appear a new branch of the game competitions — mobile esport. Now it is not so far from the traditional one if we pay our attention to the range and prize pools. However, the tendency shows that the interest of the players, organizers and developers in mobile disciplines.

Nowadays regular events are held along with game leagues for smartphone and gadgets. Their prize pools reach hundreds of thousands dollars and streams of games with PUBG Mobile, Vainglory or Clash Royal keep a big army of viewers in front of screens. In the future the mass esports is likely to pass to the format of the mobile gadgets. It is reasonable due to five factors. Learn more about the 5 main reasons further.

Availability and ease of use

In the vast majority, mobile games are more casual and easier for a user. The modern generation doesn’t like hardcore gaming of the world of PC games. The young audience demands easy and understandable games that could be mastered in a couple of minutes and to start playing. Young gamers don’t want to spend hours working out difficult mechanics and hours maps as in Dota 2 if to exemplify.

Mobile gaming gives the new generation of players what they want: fast parties, low boundary for passing, simplified gameplay. The player can play several matches on their way to work or to study (or even during), in lines, so literally anywhere.

Games like Vainglory or Clash Royal have extremely easy interface, offer fast search of the opponent and easy control with the touchscreen. Mobile games do their main function yet — entertain people. Not all online PC sports can have this feature. This is what esports is based on. Best of such casual players are in tops of the rating of their disciplines forming active competitive community.

Easy tournament organization

What expense is the biggest if we organize a big esports event? Someone can say that it is the prize for the teams. In fact, a LAN final takes the biggest part of the price: renting of the holding place, buying PCs and other appliances. Each player at the Dota 2, CS:GO or League of Legend tournaments requires at least two top PC with good screens. And if more than two teams play simultaneously, the size of the park of the computers can increase proportionally.

To hold a LAN for mobile disciplines, the participants just have to be given a seat and stable Wi-Fi. Players have their own devices (a smartphone or a tablet, a headset). ANd quality if not spoiled due to the fact. A good example is European finals of STAR CHALLENGE 2018 from the StarLadder PUBG Mobile studio. The event was held in a good cozy atmosphere without any delay and technical difficulties.

Low price of gadgets

It will cost approximately 1500-2000 dollars to gather a game PC that will cope with modern esports games with maximum settings and high fps. This sum should be accompanied with a price of the reliable game keyboard, mouse, headset, mat and screen. Without the top hardware, you should not hope to gain any result in the esport.

Mobile disciplines are much easier. The player can buy a smartphone for 500-700 dollars which is able to handle with the necessary games in a good quality. The difference is big and it is an advantage of the mobile esports.

Free-to-play

In most cases, mobile games are free. It lets a player look around and to check whether it is worthy. If they like it, they will stay in the game, Of course, mobile games have their own ways of monetization, but the very game doesn’t take any money. It concerns all mobile esports disciplines.

Meanwhile, classical esports games are paid for. The exceptions are Dota 2, CS:GO, Fortnite and conditionally free HearthStone. As for League of Legends, a player has to pay for the chance to play with all champions although the very game is made by the Free-to-play model. Other leading disciplines (SC2, Overwatch, PUBG, Rainbow Six, Call of Duty, FIFA, NBA) require purchase of the games themselves that usually cost 20-50 dollars.

Free games attract users easier and are monetized better. By the way, two of the mentioned free PC games (HS and Fortnite) are now more popular on mobile platforms than on the desktop PC.

Big audience

Developments and maintenance of the projects for mobile esports require less investments. Consequently, companies can spend more money on advertising, promotion and tournaments with their games. It is more fruitful as it attracts a big young audience.

For instance, in 2017 the Clash Royale tournament by the Supercell company kept approximately 27 million of players. These numbers are more outstanding than the numbers of any esports discipline. The same game has a regular league in North America for 36 teams. Among them, there are popular esports organizations like Team Solomid or Cloud9.

The main King of Glory tournament (mobile analogue of  League of Legends)King Pro League Fall Season 2017 – was watched by 20 million of unique visitors worldwide online. Despite the fact that the biggest part is from China and South Korea, the amount of the audience is overwhelming. The peak number of the stream reached 9 million of viewers.

If we take a look at the West world, the streams of the mobile esports are not behind the classical disciplines. The final stage of Summoners War: World Arena Championship in South Korea gathered 50 thousands of fans on the official broadcast on Twitch. The leading  Clash Royale events in 2017 attracted more than 200 thousand of viewers. Taking into accounts that the main LoL, Dota2 and CS:GO streams do not exceed 500 thousand of viewers together, the difference is not so big. It is quite likely that soon the audience that will watch esports will reach the audience of the traditional esports.

The prize pools of the mobile games also grow. For instance, Clash Royale Crown Championship World Finals 2017 gave the participants a chance to fight for 400 thousand dollars. It is possible that in a couple of years the world will see the first dollar millionaire that has made a fortune on mobile gaming.