How developers, creators, and brands can tap into the passion of esports fans

venturebeat.com:

Presented by Google for Games

By 2020, esports was an undeniable cultural phenomenon, with growth continuing to surge. By 2021, audience count hit a cool 474 million worldwide. Can this trend continue? That’s a definitive yes, according to the recent Google for Games market research report, “Beyond 2021: Where does gaming go next?“

Watching esports and live-streamed content ranked highest of all forms of gaming engagement across the world, according to the report. And in the wake of the pandemic, analysts predict a growth to 920.3 million by 2024, which is a CAGR of +9.2%.

“As 2020 ended and we hit such highs for esports, the question was, how can we replicate this in 2021?” says Kendra Johnson, director and global head of gaming publishers at YouTube. “2021 was even bigger in terms of engagement, audience, number of events, and number of games that added a competitive esports element to their content strategy. The growth of content across live-streaming and VOD is an essential aspect of the gaming experience and is only accelerating.  Those of us at YouTube and Google are very bullish on what’s to come in 2022 for esports.”

The esports audience is a key factor in a game’s success, Google found in the report. That means game developers need to expand their engagement strategies to continuously connect with their content creators and audience, beyond the launch hype — it’s essential to nurture the community that’s in a decisive position to help promote a game. Here’s a closer look at the esports phenomenon, and the opportunities that lie ahead for industry professionals who are in the loop.

In a world where in-person connection is at a premium, players (and their followers) need to find ways to connect and talk trash more than