Dota 2: How Valve is making five-a-side wizard death a healthy eSport

As one of the fastest growing industries, the world of eSports has taken the world by storm over the past two years. From games like Starcraft 2 to Riot’s League of Legends, the eSports industry have generated prize pools of nearly $3 million and brought together millions of viewers online. However, it was the most recent tournament that was held this past summer that really propelled the industry into the eyes of many potential sponsors. Valve held its annual tournament for Dota 2, The International, in Seattle and proved to be one of the most enormous milestones for eSports as a whole. With over 4.5 million viewers worldwide and a prize pool of over $2.8 million, this event alone showed just how quickly the industry is growing. Jason Cion’s blogpost also discusses the rising takeover of eSports with the sponsorship of many major companies. Building a solid foundation for all of eSports in general, “its model takes a triangular partnership between developer, professional player and community which is then able to support or tap into satellite companies and auxiliary businesses.” With companies like Nexon immediately hopping onto the fertile grounds left behind after The International by sponsoring a $200,000 tournament, the eSports industry can significantly expand the markets of many new sponsors to countless new consumers.