Welcome to 2024!
Here's 14 questions to get you thinking about the esports industry in 2024!
Hi There!
Just wanted to drop a quick note to wish you a happy and safe New Year. I wish I could tell you that 2024 is a fresh start for the esports and gaming industries, but I think we will see more contraction, consolidation, and liquidation this year as the industry copes with an environment that involves less investment capital, a stormy global economy, and other unpredictable factors.
Unfortunately, I'm starting the year off with COVID; not an optimal situation at all, but we play the cards we are dealt and there is work to do!
It’s a new year and I’m thinking about some of the challenges gaming and esports will face. I have a lot of questions going into this new year. Some of them are rhetorical because I already have an answer, which I'll try to prove out, one by one, very soon. I thought it would be fun to share them with you—these are by no means predictions!
#14
Given Microsoft’s questionable handling of esports for its own titles (Halo, Gears of War), will it leave Activision Blizzard’s esports (CDL, OWL, Starcraft, WoW, etc.) alone in 2024? And at what point does the company begin the inevitable process of consolidation and staff reduction?
#13
Will we see a new source of funding for the esports industry beyond gambling and Middle Eastern investments?
#12
Will more esports organizations pivot towards other business models such as game development, consumer products (like energy drinks), and content creation?
#11
How will wars in Ukraine and Gaza impact the esports and gaming industries? Will we see a rise in antisemitism on the global competitive stage (not just esports, but international sporting events as well)? Will the international community boycott Israel?
#10
Is the International Esports Federation going to survive in 2024? Will the Saudi government swallow it up whole and create something new out of it that aligns with its esports ambitions?
#9
Similarly, what is the fate of the Global Esports Federation? Will it suffer a similar fate as what is being whispered about the IESF?
#8
Will India see incredible growth for esports in 2024 or will the government get in the way?
#7
How will AI impact game development as companies like Square Enix talk about the incredible cost of developing AAA video games (Square Enix says it will fully embrace it to develop games!)? This can’t be good news for the rank-and-file developers at these companies…
#6
Will Riyadh become the epicenter of esports in 2024 and how many esports organizations will put aside their personal and very Western belief systems to do business? I’ve heard lots of rumors over the last several months about a number of high-profile organizations planning to participate in the Esports World Cup…
#5
Speaking of Riyadh and its myriad of projects—Qiddiya, NEOM, Esports World Cup—will gaming influencers, professional players, and content creators line up to advertise these projects, and in doing so, wear western esports fans down by the time the first Esports World Cup event happens in the summer?
#4
Have major stakeholders changed their stance on working in the Middle East? We’ve heard a few rumors on that front too…
#3
Will those companies that got involved during the hype cycle of esports finally cut the cord and walk away this year like Kroenke, the Wilfs, and MSGE did in 2023?
#2
Will Complexity be sold off by GameSquare so that FaZe Clan can compete unfettered without concerns over conflicts of interest?
#1
Will Riyadh host the first official OWL event in 2024?