Cybersport is a market that is developing at an ultra-high rate. Although it has taken longer for cybersports to become popular in Canada than in Europe or Asia, the industry is now booming in the country because digital sports can no longer be ignored. It is a growing sector that is being watched with great interest by game publishers, live esports bet operators, media, brands and educational institutions in Canada and worldwide.
Outlook for the future
The global eSports economy will generate revenues of $1.1 billion. Thus – the growth will be +15.7%. And the main layer of revenues will come from sponsorship and media rights sales – 822.4 million dollars.
In the words of Michael Daudignon, founder of the Verden-based Motivation Agency, revenues from the industry will approach 1.8 billion dollars in 2022.
Cybersport is part of gaming culture
Cybersports are an important part of gaming culture and industry. The focus of cybersports is on competition, team spirit and fair play. According to statistics for the fourth quarter of 2018 compiled by GlobalWebIndex, 28 % of Canadian youth aged 16 to 24 said they had watched a cybersport tournament in the month prior to their participation in the survey, ranking Canada 26th out of 41 countries.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for cybersports in Canada to break through the barriers of a target audience that is still heavily influenced by gender. Consequently, there are 5.2 times more young people interested in cybersports than the general population.
Canada’s cyber athletes
There are probably less than 20 elite cyber athletes in Canada. Stephanie Harvey of Quebec is a five-time world champion in the video game first-person shooters Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Teams are competing against rivals from China, France, South Korea, the UK and the US. Two of the 20 teams in the Overwatch League, whose champions will receive $1.1 million in September, represent Canadian cities:
- Toronto Defiant;
- Vancouver Titans.
Cyberspace, which goes through the amateur and semi-professional divisions, numbers in the thousands. Four high schools in Canada offer students 360 hours of cybersports training per year for five years, in partnership with the CyberSports Academy of Canada, which runs day camps to teach competitive video game skills.
Developing cybersport in the country
Developers, publishers and organisers of esports betting Vulkan work closely with the community to develop successful formats and titles in cybersport, and to continually improve them. Given the great social, cultural and economic importance of eSports, the government must strive to create the ideal conditions for the entire industry to flourish
New stadium for cybersport
Typically, eSports tournaments are held in stadiums filled to capacity in Europe and Asia. That’s why Canada is building a stadium to host the world’s best players and teams. The 7,000-seat stadium is located at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto.
The facility is scheduled for completion in 2025. The arena, which has not yet been named, has been designed with a focus on promoting cybersport events.