League of Legends & Chess Dominate the Weekend
eSports on the Rise
Editors Note: I’m going to try something new this week. Going to look at conversion rates, open rates and if I can keep this up for a short period of time while still adding value. Stories will be about this length but cover different areas in the creator economy. Subscribe here or on Linkedin for the latest!
League of Legends Finals Gets 5M+ viewers
This past weekend, the League of Legends Finals had over 5M+ viewers and a sold out Chase Center in San Francisco, CA where fans tuned in live to see who would win the championship.
The best of 5 match was the classic David vs. Goliath matchup. One team, T1 is a team that has won the last few championships, they have arguably the LeBron James of League of Legends in Faker. Faker is a veteran gamer who has won the championship 3 times with various teams and T1 is a well-oiled machine.
On the other side is DRX, a team that barely qualified to make the playoffs, but has had a cinderella-like run to make it to the championship match. They are led by Deft, a gamer who has never won a championship but has played at an elite level for 10+ years.
The match itself was arguably the best match ever, so many swings back and forth, one team stealing barons while the other pulling off complex offensive and defensive maneuvers. T1's Gumayusi had multiple baron steals and so did Oner. If you'er lost by the last few sentences, don't worry.
Do you need to know how to play League of Legends to enjoy the match? No. Just watch the energy that people have. It's amazing to see a whole stadium erupt in cheers and see a Twitch chat explode when something big like a baron steal or a inhibitor manuever happens or a double kill. It's like watching a World Cup match but with more excitement!
Here's the match by the numbers:
5M+ concurrent viewers on Twitch world-wide (not including China)
18K attendees at Chase Center in San Francisco experiencing the match live
$1M prize money going to the winning team (DRX)
5 action-packed games between DRX & T1
This League of Legends finals had an insane story line and everyone was tuning in to see if DRX would complete their miracle cinderella run. They learned on the fly and at an incredible pace seemed to overcome every situation. The best part of the championship run? Yes the gameplay was at the highest level but DRX's Pyosik got a funny reputation for doing a little dance after a win in the quarterfinals and did the same dance after winning the Finals.
Chess.com Global Championship Finals
Over the last week, the chess.com Global Championship held place in Toronto, CA. The prize money was $200K with the top 3 places also getting money and glory.
The heavyweights of chess were in attendance, everyone from Magnus Carlsen to Hikaru Nakamura to one of the best up and coming talents, 18 year old Nihal Sarin of India.
The championships lasted well over a week and had some of the most elite chess played. It's different from the classical championships you probably know as the players only have 15 minutes with a 2 second increment. It's equivalent to a T20 match in cricket where the players have 20 overs or how college basketball has two halves instead of an NBA game that has 4 quarters. The idea is simple, keep the event entertaining for viewers while also providing a bit of a time crunch for players.
The story lines were also amazing here. Will Nakamura repeat and defend his title? Can a bongcloud opening from Duda confuse Nakamura? Will the young Nihal Sarin break into the scene? Can Wesley So hold a position to a draw where he's down a pawn? Can Anish Giri finally break thru and make it to the finals? If you don't know who any of these people are or follow chess, you should. It's the story that makes any event and this had so many story lines.
Chess is an interesting game but at it's highest level, you can often tell how a game is going to go by which opening is played. A player has their tendencies and favorites and often the opponent is trying to play to make their opponent uncomfortable and blunder. That was on full display here in the championships as many different openings were played, some more offensive and some more defensive in nature. The variety was amazing.
In the end, it was Wesley So (America) who won the Finals match against young Nihal Sarin (India) in a best of 8. So jumped out to a 3-1 lead and never looked back, being the first to 4.5 points and ultimately winning the championship and the $200K prize money. Nihal took $100K home but more importantly solidified himself as a defensive stalwart.
Chess.com Championship Tournament by the numbers:
3M+ views across YouTube and Twitch
$1M+ given out to players across the top positions from Chess.com
20+ sponsors from Brave to Chess.com to many more
Recap YouTubers such as GothamChess have been doing an amazing job commentating live and then doing a YouTube recap of the match. Imagine a NBA player or commentator doing a recap immediately after the event. It's authentic, relatable and educational.
Takeaways
Now the numbers themselves are impressive but this has further implications for the creator economy and esports. Esports has drawn more viewers than the Super Bowl and in my opinion has better storylines if you want to follow them. There's high stakes, high pressure and the slightest misstep can cost someone a championship. There's drama, elite commentary and entertainment at it's purest form. You don't need to be in the arena to feel the excitement.
eSports as an industry is already a trillion dollar space. Arguably bigger than the NBA and NFL combined when it comes to international reach. More people play Fortnite, League of Legends online than play basketball or football. Video games are on the rise and there is no shortage of interest. If you have a child who plays video games, just ask them who Ninja is.
Gaming as an industry has a rich history and is here to stay. Whether it's League of Legends or Chess or any other game, gaming is an industry that should not be overlooked.
Here's why gaming is better than other live sports:
A minimal barrier to entry/play. All you need is the game and an internet connection.
An international audience and community.
Constant entertainment value. Yes you can watch basketball and football and see your favorite player do something and translate it to a video game but esports is year round while basketball/football has seasons.
Elite and entertaining commentary/recaps often with actual players
There is a different feeling you get when you're watching Chess or League of Legends or anything else. Yes it helps if you play the game and know the lingo and language but you don't need to. The energy is unmatched. The commentators make every big moment feel so amazing. Hats off to more entertaining esports matches and more amazing moments as the sport gets bigger and bigger.