E-sports is growing up fast, and it’s profile as a platform for marketing to dedicated gamers is on the rise.
To speak to those points, the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference gathered some of the most important people in e-sports to talk about the sector’s growth.
GameSpot e-sports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau moderated a discussion between Major League Gaming chief executive officer Sundance DiGiovanni, Twitch chief operating officer Kevin Lin, Blizzard president Mike Morhaime, and Houston Rockets’ general manager Daryl Morey.
DiGiovanni’s Major League Gaming is one of the most prominent competitive-gaming organizations in the country. It holds major events every few months in live venues. In the video, DiGiovanni talked about how MLG’s impressive viewer engagement — viewers often watch 3.5 hours uninterrupted — has brands very interested in advertising.
Twitch is one of the biggest game-streaming video sites. Lin talked about its massive growth which led to 29 million unique viewers in February.
Blizzard is one of the primary competitive-gaming developers. Its Starcraft II is arguably the most important game in all of e-sports. Morhaime spoke to an Blizzard’s interest in consolidation in e-sports.
Finally, Daryl Morey is one of the highest ranking sports executive to come out and talk about the potential of e-sports. He has previously said that he believes competitive gaming has the potential to be the world’s most popular sport.
Check out the full talk below, or on GameSpot’s website: