As part of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5, we held a panel to answer the question, is 2021 the year of esports?

Our experts included Guild Esports director of marketing and brand Danny Lopez, Akolyte esports lead and founder Tyler Bond, British Esports Association head of content Dominic Sacco, Ritual Motion VP of content Crystal Mills and Esports Insider managing director and co-founder Sam Cooke.

"It has always been the year for esports. It sees phenomenal growth year-on-year," said Lopez.

It is great to see growth within the industry. Over time, there have been more celebrity endorsements, particularly with sports stars. For example, Guild has teamed up with David Beckham.

However, there were several names being bounced around before Guild and Beckham formed their partnership. Moreover, the academy system Guild plans to put in place was a key area for the former footballer who has his own academies.

Thrive and survive

"I think success is an awkward word to use, it is more moving towards a reflection of old school sports," said Bond.

Bond explained that the esports industry has only recently started to look at grassroots, mainly in the past two years. It is important to look at the lower leagues and work with them.

Furthermore, there is more to an organisation than just the players. There are many skills required in various roles within an esports company.

Last year, people believed 2020 would be the year for esports. However, COVID proved to be detrimental as events were cancelled left, right and centre.

According to Sacco, the "industry has come a long way." In the UK, there has been an "explosion of talent and tournaments at the grassroots level and pro level."

The UK is getting more players in titles such as Call of Duty and Street Fighter. The former of which has a team based out of London for the professional league.

"The past decade has been great, and I look forward to seeing what the next decade brings," said Sacco.

Teams and orgs

There is a difficulty for esports teams when it comes to making money.

"The issue comes down to fan engagement," said Bond

As Bond explained, esports fans tend to get everything for free, unlike real-life sports. Therefore, there is an expectation these days as "everyone expects everyone for free, which will be an issue through the next 10 years."

Sacco continued on from that bringing up the point of whether or not esports orgs will offer premium content. "Maybe we are at that point now where we need to look at that."

However, it is worth noting that this could cause an uproar as esports fans have been spoilt and will be resistant to paying. Moreover, they could always watch illegal broadcasts of an event.

"I think we are slowly starting to see premium content be implemented," said Mills.

She went on to explain that the industry is likely to see more and more of that. However, like the rest of the industry, she is unsure how this will go when asking viewers to pay to witness an event.

There are definitely options for teams to explore, be it through means such membership that grants exclusive content to those who subscribe and support the teams.

Boom

Grassroots will continue to rise throughout 2021, "there are a variety of offerings out there," claimed Lopez.

However, grassroots needs to be for more than just players. Content creation and marketing are only two other positions that are sorely needed in esports organisations.

Moreover, the industry's education side is improving as brands gain a better understanding of the industry, with more service providers emerging to aid those interested in esports.

There are currently several universities across the UK that have begun to offer degrees and courses specialise in esports.

Venues

There has been a rise in the number of companies that are getting venues for esports competitions. However, are there actually enough tournaments to go around.

Firms see how well major tournaments perform. However, competitions such as the League of Legends World Championships is already covered.

"There are lots of games and lots of opportunities," explained Sacco.

However, it is a concern that money could be wasted unless people can be attracted to grassroots tournaments.

PGC Digital #5 will run from February 8th to February 12th. To keep up to date with all of our coverage, check out the roundups here. There's still time to sign up - to find out more and book a ticket, head to the website.