need to know
- AI, cloud, and high-speed networks are transforming how esports is developed, played, and watched
- The Esports Foundation is shaping the future of digital sports through innovation and advanced infrastructure
- Investment in new technologies will support the longevity of esports, including player development and an enhanced viewer experience
High-speed networks, cloud infrastructure, and streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube have allowed esports to grow from local arcades and gaming nights with friends at home into a multi-billion-dollar competitive industry followed by millions around the world.
“Technology creates new possibilities for competition, but players immediately push that technology to its limits,” says Mike McCabe, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of the Esports Foundation, which runs the Esports World Cup (EWC), held in Paris for the first time this summer.
“That creates a very powerful feedback loop. Technology changes how people compete, competition exposes what technology needs to do better, and the next generation improves because of it.”
Technology expands the possibilities of competition; players push the limits of technology
Innovation touches every part of esports. In the development of the games, generative AI has quickly become a powerful tool for creating large and varied worlds and levels. Around three quarters (76%) of professional game developers use AI to assist with coding or generate creative assets.
In the lead up to competitions, athletes can use specialized cognitive training and tracking software to help improve reaction times, situational awareness, and focus. And in the stadium, deploying hundreds of advanced cameras with 4K imaging and AI-powered tracking allows competitions like the EWC to capture player reactions, moments behind the scenes, and tournament celebrations for broadcast in real time.
Other fan-focused technology investments at this year’s EWC included augmented reality (AR) experiences on Snapchat and in the arenas, along with an immersive map to guide attendees to key locations and activities.
“We can learn from more than a century of traditional sports while building a sporting experience designed from the beginning for a digital generation,” says McCabe.
Esports exists because of technology, which is why innovation is naturally built into its framework
Of all the technologies that have shaped the development of esports so far, “connectivity has probably been the single most transformative,” McCabe notes. High-speed, low-latency networks have turned games into global competitive platforms, enabling players in different parts of the world to train and compete together.
This year’s EWC, which brought together more than 2,000 players, 200 Clubs, and 24 games put these systems to the test when the tournament was forced to relocate from Riyadh to Paris less than two months before the competition began.
“The fact that the entire ecosystem could come together and relocate a seven-week world championship to another continent in less than eight weeks tells you something important about where esports is today,” says McCabe. “The industry has developed the technology, infrastructure, partnerships and operational maturity to function at the level of the world’s biggest sports.”
This year’s Esports World Cup was a true representation of the power of connectivity
Of the around 640 million esports viewers around the world, 56% use mobile devices to engage with esports. “The smartphone has become the remote control for the entire fan experience,” explains McCabe.
Through their smartphones, viewers can do a variety of different tournament-related activities, including watching matches, following players’ points of view, interacting with creators, making predictions, and checking statistics, “all from one device.”
The opportunity now is to connect those experiences, building a “digital journey around the competition, one that understands what games, clubs, and players fans care about, and brings the most relevant experiences directly to them,” McCabe says.
The fan experience has evolved to become an integrated and personalized digital journey
For the Esports Foundation, investing in the future of the sport is not just about technology for technology’s sake. Instead, it is about focusing on player development and industry longevity, including enhancing the viewer experience.
Looking ahead, McCabe identifies AI as having the most transformative potential for esports. “For somebody watching their first esports match, it could explain what matters and why. For an expert, it could surface incredibly sophisticated tactical information,” says McCabe. “That ability to make the same competition accessible to completely different audiences could fundamentally change how esports grows.”
Learn more about the Esports Foundation and Esports World Cuphere.
