Esports is a Business

Understand the basic relationships in esports and know what part they play in the ecosystem.

You can’t be friends with an entity that’s signing your paycheck, even if you’re friends with your teammates or your managers. It’s up to you to recognize your value and get paid for it — teams are looking out for themselves and wouldn’t think twice about replacing you.

CHAPTER 1

  • Fans

    Here’s where fans spend their money:

    🎮 Players: directly through player streams and socials

    🏆 Teams: merchandise, sponsored products, and directly through player streams and socials

    🌎 Publishers: in-game content, merchandise, and event tickets and associated sponsors

    As a player, you’ll want to find ways to connect your brand to fans so they’re more likely to support you and your team, increasing your value to the whole ecosystem.

  • Publishers

    Here’s how publishers make money:

    🎉 Fans: in-game content, merchandise, event tickets, and associated sponsors

    💎 Sponsors: competitive league support, a portion of profits from fans’ purchases of products and services

    As a player, you support publishers by playing their games on stream or endorsing them on social media, increasing their profits that then feeds back into the ecosystem.

  • Teams

    Here’s how teams make money:

    🎉 Fans: merchandise, portion of profits from their purchases of sponsored products and services

    💎 Sponsors: direct support in exchange for product endorsement

    🌎 Publishers: in-game content, like team icons or skins

    🎮 Players: indirectly through players attracting fans and endorsing products

    As a player, you’re a huge part of a team’s ability to attract both fans and sponsors while remaining competitive, so this is why you have leverage when negotiating contracts with them!

  • Players

    That’s you! How do you make money?

    🏆 Teams: pay you to compete for them, create or participate in content, and sell merchandise

    💎 Sponsors: pay you directly or as part of the team in exchange for endorsement of products and services

    You’re in a pretty powerful spot here. When you attract fans to support you, they might also support your team, watch the competitive leagues, and play publishers’ games — feeding profits for everyone else!