Mon Dec 21

What to Look Forward to in Australian Esports

Written by Jamie Mitchell

As we approach the end of what has been a seriously rough year, 2021 is on the horizon and esports fans are looking forward to what many hope to be a return to a normal, lockdown-free life, as well as the commencement of many esports tournaments.

In particular, Australia is set to be the host of a number of tournaments, many of which have already been postponed. Whether the game in question is League of Legends, Dota 2, Fortnite Call of Duty or something else, there is going to be plenty of esports entertainment throughout the next year.

With this in mind, here is everything you need to know about the esports scene in Australia and where it is headed.

The State of Australian Esports So Far

While gaming is hugely popular across the world, this hasn’t always been the case in Australia. Today, there are signs of massive increases in esports interest - the country is host to a number of tournaments, streamers and professional gaming teams, and top Australian esports earners made millions in prize money alone. While esports as an Australian industry totalled revenue of $8 million in 2018, PwC predicted growth towards a figure closer to $21 million in 2022 - the industry is clearly headed for a positive future.

This popularity can be seen clearly at any of the world class esports events that have been held throughout Australia in recent years. For example, the 2017 Sydney Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) attracted 7000 people in person, alongside over 8 million viewers online - and this was for a tournament focused on one game alone; CS:GO. In 2019, the Melbourne Esports Open was attended by over 17,000 people, and the 2019 Sydney IEM reached record attendance of over 18,000, selling out the entire Qudos Bank Arena.

Australian Esports in 2021

While 2020 was a quieter year in the esports world thanks to a number of cancellations and restrictions, it is looking like 2021 will have plenty of gaming action to take part in.

This action will mostly come with one of the most prominent esports events to take place in Australia - the Melbourne Esports Open. The 2020 weekend of esports has been postponed to 2021, and will host some of the world’s most popular and competitive gaming tournaments.

Firstly, the headliner of the event is the aforementioned Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament. With plans for this tournament to play out at the Rod Laver Arena, the event will likely sell out all 14,000 seats.

The next tournament likely to hold a spot in the Esports Open is a 2021 League of Legends tournament - while this is yet to be confirmed, the previous year saw the Oceanic Pro League (OPL) in August of 2020, with top OPL teams competing for a place within the League of Legends World Championships. While the OPL was unfortunately dissolved just months after this tournament (alongside the closure of Riot Games’ Sydney office), ESL and Guinevere Capital have since announced a partnership which will bring together an eight team league, supported by Riot with a three year license for operation. This effort is being designed with involvement from all eight previous OPL teams, and with any luck, we will see the tournament return in the 2021 Melbourne Esports Open.

On top of these popular tournaments there will be plenty more, alongside open tournaments (where fans can get in on the action), opportunities to see the latest and greatest in VR technology, and even the inclusion of mobile games.