Esports has become hugely popular throughout the years. It gave birth to eSports video game competitions such as The International, the League of Legends World Championship, and the Smite World Championship, which features live broadcasts of the competition and prize money for its competitors. As of this year, let’s check the top five ESport games in the market.
Dota 2
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DTyfAkf8-A]
Dota 2 has a total prize pool of $31,492,042.16 coming from the earnings of the Compendium Battle Pass, grabbing the top spot for the most popular Esports Game of 2016. As described by PCGamer, Dota 2 has offered “the purest sequel to the original Defense of the Ancients.” No wonder that even before it was released in the market, it already has a solid fan base. A deep and complex MOBA game to boot, Dota 2 has now become one of the best-played game online you can download on your gaming desktop or laptop, attracting more than 56 million players. Dota 2 International Championship has ended last August with China’s Wings Gaming winning the tournament.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W45jofFkfpU]
The second Valve game to make it through the list, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series. Since its release in 2012, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has become the second most-played game on Steam and the world’s top first-person shooter game. As of 2016, it has a total prize pool of $11,800,442.32 and has already hosted 642 tournaments. The game continues to grow popular in North America, South America, and Europe. The World Championship has ended last October 9 with Turkey winning the tournament.
League of Legends
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3qvJMJJGbw]
Despite all its issues, League of Legends continues to reign in the global market, spawning pro gamers like Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok. It is one of the largest Esports in the industry, hosting various annual tournaments worldwide. As of 2016, it has accumulated more than 67 million players worldwide and has been extremely popular in countries like North America and Europe. It is also the most played game in South Korea. League of Legends World Championship will end this October 29.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FON4nAqodQ0]
The Call of Duty: Black Ops III is another co-op first person shooting game. It is the twelfth game in the Call of Duty series and the sequel to the game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Hosting a total of 45 tournaments this year, the game offered a prize pool of $3,730,390.66 to pro gamers worldwide. The 2016 World Tournament just ended last September 5 with EnvyUs bagging the prize with a score of 3 over 1 against Splyce.
Heroes of the Storm
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vkTNuPIMfo]
Heroes of the Storm is MOBA game from Blizzard which features heroes from Diablo, WarCraft, StarCraft, and Overwatch. Since it offers a broader playstyle compared to the other MOBA games, Blizzard referred to it as an online “hero brawler” game. Similar to other Esports game, it offers regional tournaments and a world championship tournament. 2016 Heroes of the Storm Fall Global Championship will take place on November 5 in Anaheim, California.
How about you? What your favorite ESport game?