eSports at the Crossroads: Vendors Adapt to Endure the "eSports Winter"

This IDC Market Perspective sizes esports market vendor revenue worldwide through 2023, examines the dynamic between esports' top tournaments and teams in 2022 and 2023, describes the ways in which esports ecosystem vendors have responded to tougher economic conditions, and it identifies strategies for service provider success in 2024 and 2025."We expect the core esports market to contract 8% this year as a result of the ongoing esports winter. We anticipate this winter will give way to a thaw in the 2H24 time frame, however, as more ecosystem vendors - teams, esports tournament operators, game IP rights holders, and brands/sponsors -reposition themselves to take better advantage of fan engagement, which remains healthy, or exit the market based on poor performance." - Lewis Ward, research director of IDC's Gaming, eSports, and VR/AR