Esports Predictions for 2022

Prediction 1: The growth of mixed reality (physical and virtual) esports

I expect to see a rapid increase in esports players competing in a combination of the virtual and physical space. We have already seen people wearing virtual reality (VR) helmets in the physical environment in gameshows and entertainment programs — for example where a blank space is populated via VR — and esports will evolve in the same direction. There’s a lot of hype around this at the moment as competitors discover the fun of mixed reality competitive gaming.

Prediction 2: More mixed-gender teams

I would love to see more mixed teams taking part in top esports competitions. Currently, we typically see all-male teams competing against all-male teams, but there is a move towards mixed gender teams. With figures suggesting nearly half the world’s gamers are women and girls, there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be the case.

Prediction 3: Esports personalities enter the corporate space

We’re all used to annual conferences where sports personalities are invited to motivate the audience with advice and anecdotes about how they’ve made it to the top of their profession. From teamwork and training to nutrition and mental stamina, their success stories inspire and enthuse audiences. Why not esports professionals? In Asia, they’re already treated like soccer stars and their popularity is growing in Europe too. I expect to see more gamers being invited on to the corporate stage over the next year.

Prediction 4: Say hello to the metaverse

A game in a game. The internet is moving into a new era as the metaverse offers digital interactions for socializing, trading, working, collaborating — and gaming. I predict a lot of metaverse propositions for gaming in fantasy worlds with immersive experiences. This will accelerate the development of metaverse-based games in the coming year.

Prediction 5: Accelerating growth

Gaming isn’t new. In fact, the first esports event took place back in October 1972 at Stamford University. Fast forward fifty years and the industry is worth significantly more now than it was then. In 2020, global esports revenues reached $1.1B, representing a year-over-year growth of almost 16 percent. In a rapidly growing subsection of the gaming industry, I expect this growth to accelerate still further in 2022 and beyond, with some figures suggesting the market will reach $6.82B by 2027.