In 2020, due to the spread of the epidemic, global exchanges were suspended, and The International (Dota 2 World Invitational), which had set a record for the highest esports prize money at that time, even announced its suspension. Subsequently, in order to respond to the trend of the times, various e-sports organizers have adopted online competitions and regional events. However, esports events have always focused on the interaction between spectators and players on stage and real-time matches, and this move can only be said to be a stopgap measure, and the esports industry has come to a standstill for a while.
However, since 2023, in order to get out of the economic recession caused by the epidemic, countries have implemented strong economic stimulus policies. With the increase in vaccination rates and the restoration of medical efficiency, the free movement of people is gradually recovering, which also makes esports organizers willing to hold offline events. Domestically, the "2023 China E-sports Industry Report" shows that "in 2023, the number of non-performance Chinese e-sports events held by professional players at or above the provincial level will increase year-on-year, with a total of 127 events held." Among them, 46% of the events were held offline, 32% of the events were held in the form of a combination of online and offline, and another 22% of the events were held online." And in 2023, the proportion of revenue in China's e-sports industry, which has been declining year after year since 2020, will slow down, falling by only 131, it can be said that 2023 has laid the foundation for the rebuilding of the order of the esports industry and prepared for the upcoming 2024.
In 2024, various esports event organizers have announced blockbuster news. CS2 will host its first PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 in Copenhagen in mid-March this yearDota 2 has eliminated the DPC League in the region and replaced it with a multinational tournament run by a third-party tournament, and so far this year, three $1 million prize pool tournaments have been held: the Dubai Villa Cup, the Future Games, and Dream League S22. Honor of Kings announced that it has added the Intercontinental Invitational Tournament, Mid-Season Invitational Tournament and KPL Annual Championship Tournament this year. The Mid-Season Invitational is a partnership with Saudi Arabia's Esports World Cup, which will create a $3 million prize pool with 12 of the world's top teams.
Of course, the most eye-catching is the aforementioned Saudi Esports World Cup. In addition to Honor of Kings, the current most popular e-sports games "CS2", "Dota 2", "Mobile Legends", "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds", "StarCraft 2", etc. have been officially announced to join the E-sports World Cup. And reliable sources from foreign media show that Riot, which has always held the right to host the event, will release the League of Legends project to join the ranks of the E-sports World Cup. In this way, the Esports World Cup can be said to include all current major esports events, with a total prize pool of 45 million US dollars, which will also break the current record of all esports events.
Based on the above, Lei Jingjing, the leader in e-sports data analysis, clearly gave the trend of the e-sports industry in 2024: regional and online competitions will take a back seat, and transnational offline events will become the mainstream again. And based on the vigorous vitality of the event, not only the event itself, but also the corresponding e-sports club revenue, live broadcast industry and e-sports data and other e-sports industry revenue will bid farewell to the downward trend and usher in growth again.