North America Esports Market Outlook, 2028

North America Esports Market Outlook, 2028

Nowadays, video games are altering the way engagements happen in digital environment. They are, in fact, much more than just a thriving entertainment industry. It has been observed that gaming business propagates creativity by pushing the upper limits with respect to achievements. Video gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively for the young. As generations have grown up with video gaming as a common part of life, the average gamer's age has risen. The rise in the people of the region's affordability and the strong economic backbone coupled with the latest technologies drive the North American market's growth. Moreover, free-to-play and mobile games are boosting the market growth in the region. Accessibility is one of the primary reasons for the adoption of mobile gaming, and most smartphones are loaded with games. Esports is one sector that has witnessed tremendous developments in the past decades, due to the impressive steps that the region has continued to make in the field of technology. The growing popularity of esports including mobile games is due to technological developments and enhancements, such as AR, VR and cloud gaming. Additionally, North America has the largest number of eSports leagues in the world. Faster connections to a greater extent have helped in increasing the dominance of eSports in North America. With the introduction of the 5G network connection, there are higher chances that the revenue of the sector will double in the next coming years.

According to the research report “North America Esports Market Outlook, 2028” published by Bonafide Research, the market is anticipated to add USD 405.72 Million market size from 2023 to 2028. The rising number of tournaments & events with attractive prizes and long-term investment initiatives undertaken by market players are estimated to open new growth avenues for the esports market during the forecast period. The constantly growing esport industry across various nations of this region is attracting more people towards this industry and opt it as their professional career. In addition, many universities and colleges in this region are offering professional courses for students as well as scholarships for the top gamers or esports players, which are fuelling the growth of the regional escorts market in the upcoming years. By organizing competitions for kids, assisting high schools in establishing esports clubs, and providing mentorship and coaching, the North America Scholastic eSports Federation (NASEF) aims to develop the ecosystem. In 2021, the North America Scholastic esports Federation partnered with Tallo. The alliance has established the most incredible online network of companies, young esports talent, and academic institutions. Furthermore, Monumental Sports & Entertainment (one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies located in Washington) along with its esports teams (Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming) have partnered with the University of North America (UoNA) in order to give guidance in preparing students for work in the field of esports and “to create new career opportunities for current and future students.”

North America is the second-largest esports market in audience and revenue. Based on the report, the market is segmented into major three countries including United States, Canada and Mexico. Among them, USA is leading the market with more than 68% market share in 2022. With a massive esports audience and an even bigger commercial structure underpinning that audience, a number of notable tournaments and leagues call the US home. This includes both domestic-oriented tournaments, such as North American portions of wider international leagues, as well as playoff tournaments in international circuits. The United States is a massive market, and while there have been pushes towards creating esports hubs around the US, there are plenty of locations that are underserved with local businesses and teams. The Activision-Blizzard owned Overwatch League (OWL) and Call of Duty League (CDL) are geo-located esports franchises largely focused on the US, akin to the typical US franchised sports model of teams representing a city or state. USA already has one of the most advanced technologies in the world and that plays a very important role when it comes to gaming in this era The United States is one of the largest gaming industry markets and has the most extensive library of games available to its citizens. On the other hand, currently, there are thousands of eSports leagues in Canada that have seen gamers battle for millions of dollars that the sector controls in Canada. Among the eSports leagues in Canada, it includes League of Legends, StarCraft, WarCraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), Dota 2, and to say nothing of Fortnite. Fortnite, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty: Warzone, Apex Legends, Halo 5: Guardians, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, League of Legends and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are top esports across the country.

According to The World Bank, around 91% of the North American population are using internet. As per the obtained data, more than 214 Million Americans play video games. Out of them, around 51 Million are children, while 163 Million are adults. From around 373 Million population in North America, nearly 328 Million population is considered to utilize online platforms. Among them, 266 Million population is aware about the esports and their characteristics. As per the obtained data, nearly 104 Million population is encountered to be live streaming audience. Also, close to 22.4 Million population is esports enthusiasts across the region. Amazon-owned Twitch is the dominant platform of choice for viewers while YouTube, Facebook, Mixer (Microsoft) and other independent streaming platforms control the rest of the market. Broadcast TV is also inching its way in, as evidenced by League of Legends' recent deal with ESPN+.
Esports has become so popular in North America that stadiums are being constructed for the more popular events, such as the Overwatch League. The 2019 Fortnite World Cup (prize pool of over $30M) was played in New York's Arthur Ashe stadium, home of The US Open (Tennis). Similar multi-day Esports tournaments routinely sell out arenas across North America, from New York's Madison Square Garden to LA's Staples Center. The opening of The Gaming Stadium in Richmond, British Columbia in 2018 established Canada's first dedicated Esports gaming stadium. The 2018 International Dota 2 Championships took place in front of a sell-out crowd at Vancouver's Rogers Arena and featured a prize pool of over $25M. In USA and Mexico, the highest awarding game was Fortnite in recent years whereas for Canada it was Dota 2.

In addition to global investment opportunities, esports “hubs” are developing across cities throughout North America, thereby creating significant opportunities for local esports investments. The CDL and OWL have adopted the geo-located franchise model, similar to traditional sports, meaning teams play in their respective home cities. For example, the prominent esports organization FaZe Clan owns the Atlanta-based CDL team, which has helped Atlanta develop as an esports hotspot and benefit from an increase in local investment. With teams moving to their respective cities, opportunities are arising for local real estate developers as esports teams look to build arenas for league competitions, in addition to state-of-the-art facilities (equipped with the latest technologies and equipment for their players to train), along with local production and media companies to support the esports organizations’ efforts to produce media content and accomplish other objectives.

From multi-millionaire celebrity Fortnite gamer “Ninja” to “Sneaky” and his incredible achievements as a League of Legends player, the USA has given some spectacular gamers. Additionally, Dota 2 provides some of the biggest earning Esports stars, and it’s interesting to see just how many US gamers like UNIVERSE, ppd, and Fear have crept up the highest earnings list in recent times. Also, Bugha won title of highest-earning US player record in 2019 with his Fortnite World Cup Solo win. Also, the region has continuously dominated the market for decades. Growth and investment are expected to continue due to the Overwatch League and franchised North America League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS). ESports teams in the region are continuously growing, building up huge companies, such as FaZe Clan, which recently entered the Nasdaq stock exchange. Merchandising and ticketing are witnessing particularly strong growth, thanks to a growing awareness among gamers. Adopting Gaming Platforms, such as E-sports, drives the North American region's market. Also, the region is witnessing considerable activity from startups that further propel market growth. For instance, 'The Forge Arena,' made by Phoenix Rising Studio, is a Canadian startup looking to become a new player in eSports.

Publisher & Esports Game Title in North America
Blizzard Entertainment (Overwatch), Activision (Call of Duty), Riot Games (League of Legends & Valorant), Epic Games (Fortnite), Psyomix (Rocket League), Valve Corporation (Counter Strike & Dota 2), Electronic Arts (Apex Legends), Capcom (Street Fighter League), UbiSoft (Rainbowsix Siege), Xbox Game Studios (Halo Infinite) and Nintendo (Super Smash Bros). Further, some of the major tournamnets across the region includes call of duty leguue, ESL Pro League, Dota Pro Circuit, League Chamioneship Series, RLCS and Capcom Pro Tour

Leading Esport Teams in North America
100 Thieves, The New York Excelsior, Team EnVyUs, Sentinels, cloud9, team tribe, team liquid, NRG, Gen.G, Rogue, evil Geniuses, Immotals, Team SoloMid, FaZe Clan, Misfits Premier and Luminosity Gaming. Team SoloMid, often known as TSM, a US-based esports organisation, became the first to have an estimated worth of more than $500 million this year.

Tournaments & Leagues in North America
2022 NHL Gaming World Championship, NA RLCS, American Video Game League, NACE Starleague, Call of Duty League, NBA 2K League, Capcom Pro Tour, Overwatch League, Evolution Championship Series (EVO), PlayVS, Fortnite World Cup, PUBG Continental Series, Halo Championship Series, Rainbow 6, North American League, HBCU Esports, SMITE Pro League, High School Esports League, Teamfight Tactics North American Esports, League of Legends, Championship Series, XP League and Mobile Premier League

Esports Organisations in North America
100 Thieves (LA Thieves), Golden Guardians, NYXL [formerly Andbox] (New York Subliners, New York Excelsior, NSYL Mayhem), Immortals (MIBR, Los Angeles Valiant), Atlanta Esports Ventures (Atlanta Reign, Atlanta FaZe), Misfits Gaming Group (Misfits, Florida Mutineers, Florida Mayhem), beastcoast, NRG Esports (San Fransisco Shock), Cloud9, Oxygen Esports (Boston Breach), Complexity Gaming, Pittsburgh Knights, Comcast Spectacor (T1, Philidelphia Fusion), Renegades, Counter Logic Gaming, Sentinels, Dignitas Spacestation Gaming, Envy Gaming (Dallas Fuel) / OpTic Gaming (OpTic Texas), Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, The Guard (Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Guerrillas), FaZe Clan (Atlanta FaZe), Tribe Gaming, FlyQuest, TSM FTX, Gen.G, Version1 (Minnesota RØKKR), Ghost Gaming, XSET

National Associations / Federations in North America
American Video Game League (AVGL), National Esports Association, Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA), North American Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF), The Esports Foundation (TEF), Esports Trade Association, Unified Esports Association (UEA), League of Legends Championship Series Players Association (LCSPA), United States Esports Federation (USEF), National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), Women In Games International (WIGI)

Major Sponsor Industries in North America
Athletic & Sportswear (Puma), Food & Beverages (Monster, Red Bull, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Bud Light), Mobile Phones & Tablets (Samsung), Automotive Manufacturer (Toyota, BMW, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Cadillac, Kia), Gaming Hardware & Peripherals (Razer, Logitech, HyperX, Betway, AndaSeat, Intel), Telecom Provider (Verizon, AT&T), Cryptocurrency (FTX, Coinbase), Insurance (StateFarm, Geico), Payment Services (cash app, MasterCard)

Esport Start-ups in North America
PrizePicks, Champions Round, Player's Lounge, Salad Technologies, Blaze, Azarus, ThriveFantasy, Brain Racers, Mindfuture, CrouchJump, Revv.gg, Noiz, Battlefy, Wakaw.Live, 50-50 gaming, Arcadia.tv, Rivals Media, GGs.io, Hearo.Live-Multiplayer TV, GridRival

Major Companies present in the market:
Activision Blizzard Inc, Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Valve Corporation, Electronic Arts Inc, Wargaming Public, Rovio Entertainment, alphabet Inc (YouTube), Twitch Interactive, Inc., Facebook, Inc, Beyond The Summit, Riot Games, Inc, Sony Group Corporation, HTC Corporation, Gfinity plc, Nintendo, Epic games

Considered in this report
• Geography: North America
• Historic year: 2017
• Base year: 2022
• Estimated year: 2023
• Forecast year: 2028

Aspects covered in this report
• North America esport market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Country-wise esport market analysis
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

Countries covered in the report:
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico

By Revenue Streams:
• Sponsorship
• Media Rights
• Merchandise & Tickets
• Publisher Fees
• Digital
• Streaming

By Device Type:
• Mobile (Smartphone, Tablet)
• PC (Laptop, Desktop)
• Gaming Device (Console, Handheld Devices)
• Other (VR, Smart TV, etc.)

The approach of the report:
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, and annual reports of companies, analyzing the government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers into regional aspects, tier aspects, age groups, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the esport industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.