Gaming and Esports: The Next Generation YOUGOV.COM 45
3. Esports fans are highly attuned to marketing
and promotions - often for benefit, but also with
discernment.
Our study shows that esports familiarity and
engagement is far from uniform across the
countries in our study. The industry has evolved
at different times and paces in different areas
around the globe - which while complicated for
marketers to learn and understand, also provides
opportunities for brands to engage in a variety of
ways and markets within the sector.
In deep dive markets such as Germany, fans pay
attention to marketing and advertising just as
football fans have opinions about their club's kit
manufacturer or shirt sponsor. In fact, our data
gives reason to believe that esports fans are more
likely to notice sponsorship - but with increased
reach also comes increased risk if executions
are not thoughtful, tailored, and topical for this
audience.
While professional sports were suspended for
months, esports and virtual sports partially bridged
the gap. Can they keep this momentum up as
conventional sports return and consumers around
the world resume a more 'normal' daily routine?
Whether they do or not, recent history speaks to
the increased legitimacy of esports as an athletic
competition: one with its own leagues, teams, and
stars – and its own sponsorships, partnerships,
and merchandise. It also suggests that fans will
reward brands that get their marketing right - and
remember those that don't.
4. COVID-19 has changed the game.
Consumers have been gaming more during the
coronavirus pandemic. With people around the
world spending more time at home – unable to
meet friends, go to the cinema, or in some cases
leave the house at all – gaming has taken on fresh
significance as both a way to spend extra leisure
time and an alternative way to socialize, virtually.
Titles such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and
Ring Fit Adventure have offered players new ways
to socialise, exercise, and keep the boredom of
lockdown at bay.
With the next few years likely to feature major
announced and unannounced releases from
Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (as well as a range
of third-party publishers) it’s clear that the major
manufacturers are committed to building on
their current success even further. Additionally,
streamers, rightsholders, and esports organizations
globally have risen to the challenge during the
pandemic, creating compelling content that has
engaged a larger audience in gaming than we've
ever seen before. With new systems, titles, and
events on the horizon, the confluence of audience
and content gives us reason to believe gaming will
continue to ride high moving into 2021.
However they turn out, in the context of a crisis
that has forced other industries to indefinitely
suspend operations, on the face of it video gaming
appears to be on firm footing - and is ready to
embrace its new jumping off point.