AUGUST 2023
It’s no secret that the esports industry has come upon hard times. As layoffs have rolled across the industry and underlying economic problems have come to the fore, many fans have been left wondering what is happening, how bad this is going to get, and even whether esports as we know it will survive. There's been a ton of public conversation around these questions, but Twitter isn't designed for nuance and we feel that a good faith explanation of what's going on in the industry and analysis of how to move forward requires diving deep.
This series of essays is a labor of love by friends who’ve spent much of their careers working in the games industry alongside publishers, live streaming platforms, professional players, esports organizations, tournament organizers, and non-endemics like brands and professional sports teams.
While we have some meaningful differences in opinion, we hope our takes collectively can create a shared framework for future conversations and business-building. We also aim to socialize learnings we’ve personally developed through experience, as well as others that are more commonly-held but whispered about behind closed doors rather than stated frankly in public.
The first step to solving any problem is recognizing it exists. These essays extensively diagnose the existing structural challenges and execution failures that have prevented various esports stakeholders from realizing their full potential, particularly with respect to monetization. We also take on the much trickier task of proposing constructive strategies for moving past the various problems identified, though solving these problems will neither be easy nor quickly handled. The industry needs to experiment, iterate, and evolve. That can’t happen within a series of essays–as such, we suggest which trees are worth barking up and which are not, instead of drilling down to provide concrete, detailed plans.
Achieving our goals requires us to speak some hard truths. We’re not interested in dunking or criticism for its own sake and aim to be both fair and respectful, but are well aware that some of our commentary may ruffle feathers.
That isn’t ideal, but it is the only way that we can establish a common framework that will help the industry to adapt and ultimately create a stronger, more sustainable esports ecosystem. We also want to help non-endemics educate themselves about the dynamics of the space in order to enable them to find opportunities in our evolving industry that align with their business interests.
We love esports and want nothing more than the industry to grow and thrive. It is our sincere hope that these essays will jumpstart a conversation and ultimately drive action to ensure we do just that.