eSports

Abstract

The eSports industry has experienced tremendous growth for a decade, despite the pandemic hitting the entire planet. While major sporting events have been canceled or postponed, eSports continues to grow strongly. While encouraging, this trend will also cause the young eSports industry to take up many challenges in the coming years. eSports will not compete directly with professional sport, but it seems on the verge of being integrated into major professional leagues worldwide, a trend that started a few years ago. Professional sport and eSports, combined, seem poised for a promising future. Given the rising interest in eSport, this chapter presents a historical review of the phenomenon before outlining its current state from an economic and market perspective. A final section will further outline the remaining challenges and avenues for the future of eSports.