There’s a rumor out there that esports is dying. It was just another COVID-19 phase, some say, while others compare it to the NFT rush and the scramble for the metaverse, two trends that, while still popular, don’t carry the weight that they once did. But esports isn’t dying – in fact, it’s very much alive. In 2024 League of Legends Worlds pulled in almost 7 million viewers, up on 2023 where that total sat around 6.4 million. Year upon year Worlds has slowly snowballed in popularity, so I asked Team Liquid‘s co-CEO Steve Arhancet and VP of esports John Lewis about their views on the current esports market, and how new games can break into it.
We haven’t seen a new esports-ready title in a while, after all. The last real breakout was Valorant, propped up by Riot’s stellar esports ecosystem and nurtured by a series of well-constructed smaller hype tournaments like First Strike. Now, the sector has five real pillars: Dota 2, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, and Valorant, with once-popular multiplayer games Overwatch and Smite falling into relative obscurity.
I ask Arhancet about the state of the industry at the moment – despite LoL and Valorant’s continued growth, many believe it’s on the brink of collapse. “I completely disagree,” Arhancet says.
“League of Legends, a game that started over 13 years ago, just broke several viewership records this year,” he tells me. “Viewership for esports is up and to the right; the number of gamers is up and to the right. We are in it for the long haul with a solid plan to be a multi-generational global organization, a leader in our space. We see this time as an opportunity.”
While Arhancet admits that Liquid “performed under our expectations” at Worlds, 2024 hasn’t been a write-off. Where it was once TL versus TSM in North America, Flyquest has emerged as the plucky new rival hoping to topple Blue and company. Arhancet tells me that it’s “great to have storylines and rivalries in the league,” noting that both teams “are committed to building winning rosters,” fanning the flames of what promises to be “the makings of a healthy rivalry.”
Esports, after all, isn’t just about the winning and the losing or those coveted viewership stats. The first ever esports match I watched was the 2019 LCS Summer Finals, where Liquid beat TSM’s record by scoring their fourth trophy in a row. It was the rivalry between Soren ‘Bjergson’ Bjerg and Yilang ‘Doublelift’ Peng that kickstarted my love for esports – it’s about the stories, not just the numbers.
The formation of new rivalries makes the sector so interesting, but we haven’t seen any fresh, big esports games in the past few years – certainly not independently run ones. I’ve been waiting for a new addition to the fray, and Theorycraft Games’ Supervive is the one that’s on my radar. Created by a team of former Rioters determined to build “the deepest games in the world,” the MOBA/brawler hybrid is smashing internal records everywhere, and has no plans to slow down.
I ask Lewis about what makes an esports game, and how you break into a saturated market. He tells me that it “takes a special game,” one that’s “fun, that players will play for years, and a deep game at the highest level that creates memorable viewing experiences for fans.
“The gameplay and mechanics of the game also need to allow substantial skill expression,” he continues, “so that the best players in the world can truly shine for fans to keep watching. Lastly, a very important component is a publisher that has a clear (positive) vision for their place in helping build that esports ecosystem.” Supervive certainly feels like it’s on the right track.
As we look ahead to League of Legends in 2025, with its new themed seasons and fearless draft pro system, I’m intrigued to see how Liquid performs. In the meantime, however, check out our LoL tier list if you’re looking to stomp on the Rift this holiday season or, alternatively, our rundown of the League of Legends ranks if you’re hoping to climb the ladder next year.
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