E-sports have taken gaming to a whole new level and evolved into a very competitive sport. It turned a leisure activity into a serious competition among professional players.
Bookmakers like follow these competitive games where e-sports betting takes an exciting turn.
Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2)
The most popular e-sports game to date, DOTA 2, is among the games that made e-sports very popular. Developed by Valve Corporation back in 2011, the RTS-styled MOBA-type game continued the competitive nature of its predecessor DOTA.
The game is played through Steam, the largest distributor of video games on the world wide web. Because of its popularity and entertainment aspect, it holds tournaments with millions in prizes.
In 2019, the largest prize pool in an e-sport tournament was recorded. Valve’s the International had a prize pool of $34.3 million or P1.8 billion!
But Valve was not done beating its previous recorded prize. In 2021, the organization posted a $40,018,195 total prize pool, or P22 billion, for its TI10 tournament! Its champion, Team Spirit, was able to take home a whopping $18,208,300 or P1 billion!
Unfortunately, the tournament organizers disappointed professional players as TI11 only had a $17,930,859 cash prize.
Nevertheless, the e-sport is so lucrative that it entices casual players to enter the pro scene. For 2015-2018, DOTA 2 had total prize money of $18.4 million to $25.5 million.
Fortnite
It looks like a children’s game, but it is not something gamers should underestimate. A newbie at esports (only released in 2017), Fortnite quickly gained popularity, thanks to Twitch streamers like Ninja, to name a few.
Epic Games developed the game, and its tournaments were not something a newcomer in the industry could do. In just a span of two years, they held Fortnite’s World Cup Finals, offering a total prize pool of $30 million or P1.65 billion for its solo and duo category!
In 2021, however, its prize took a decline. Epic Games pledged only $20 million total prize pool; still pretty big prize money for a game that is only six years old.
PUBG
A popular battle royale game, PUBG, had its ups and downs. When it was released to the public back in 2017, Overwatch quickly overtook the game developed by PUBG Corporation. Furthermore, it had several copyright issues against NetEase and Epic Games.
Due to its seemingly endless legal battles, many expected the developers to abandon the game forever. However, they surprised many e-sports fanatics when they launched their largest tournament to date—the 2021 PUBG Global Invitational—which had a prize pool of $7 million (P385 million).
Its champion, North American team Susquehanna Soniqs, took $1.29 million (P71 million).
Overwatch
Blizzard has been on a steep. However, the Overwatch League remained strong. It also has one of the biggest prize pools in esports: $4.2 million (P231.46 million)!
Last year, the Overwatch League Grand Finals sat a prize pool of $2.55 million (P140.53 million).
Who says Blizzard’s going down?
Call of Duty
Infinity Ward’s game Call of Duty (CoD) is probably one of the biggest first-person shooter games ever produced. Launched on October 29, 2003, CoD turned a single game into a franchise, releasing multiple series that captured the hearts of many shooter game fans.
Activision first organized a competitive CoD in 2013, with a prize pool of $1 million (P55.1 million). From there, its prizes fluctuated. However, in 2020 and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pro gamers saw its biggest prize—$4.6 million (P253.5 million).
The Dallas Empire won the 2020 Call of Duty League, scooping a cash prize of $1.5 million (P82.66 million).
For the 2022 tournament, Activision offered only $400,000, but still huge for a game that is riddled with cheats and bugs.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: Go)
Valve, one of the top game developers, partnered with Hidden Path Entertainment to bring one of the most competitive esports ever—Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
CS: a Go is a multiplayer video game that features two teams: terrorists and counter-terrorists. The objective of the terrorist is to detonate the bomb successfully. Conversely, counter-terrorists have to prevent the bomb from setting off, no matter the cost. Both teams may also try to win the game by eliminating all the opposing players.
In 2021, the PGL Major Stockholm was held. Twenty-four teams have competed for the esport’s largest prize pool: $2 million (P110 million).
Conclusion
E-games have been regarded as a sport due to their high level of competitiveness. It also proves that being a gamer can be a profession, especially if you are excellent and passionate about it.
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