Rez, plz – The role of MMOs in esports

Just because a game is competitive and popular doesn’t mean that it makes a good esport. Look at massively multiplayer online role-playing games. MMORPGs thrive on multiplayer—it’s right there in the name—and financially, they’re a multibillion-dollar industry. Yet as far as esports are concerned, MMORPGs are little more than a footnote. They might be fun to play, but they’re not always fun to watch.

That’s a problem. After all, an esport lives and dies by its viewers. According to astudy published by SuperData Research, about 80 percent of esports earnings come from advertisements, sponsorships and ticket sales. If a game doesn’t appeal to spectators, the audience will tune out. If nobody is watching, nobody gets paid.

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