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3 Esports That Will Rise Up the Ranks in 2020
Publish Date: December 26, 2019
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As 2020 nears, there is a new year for certain esports to leave their mark. Some are already established like League of Legends and CSGO. Others, will either be looking to claw their way back into relevance or work their way up the ladder. This list will look at current viewership, where the esport is at now and the overall potential.
There are three in particular that have set themselves up to move up a tier or two in the eyes of the viewers, sponsors and more.
If there is an esport on the rise it has to be Rocket League. Not only is it exciting to watch but it is starting to get its star players and teams like the boys on NRG. It feels as though it is very close to hitting that point where it can just blast off. This is not just the feeling of the author but also prominent esports individuals such as Rod “Slasher” Breslau.
But, just going off of a feeling is not the best way to determine the rise of an esport.
When looking at the viewership numbers compared to some of the other major esports, Rocket League is firmly in tier two and rising. According to escharts.com, the RLCS Season 8 World Champion had a peak viewership of 280,495 and an average viewer of 109,535. This is major for numerous reasons but when compared to something like the Overwatch League, it is nearly surpassing it for much less money invested.
The OWL Playoffs had a peak of 318,019 and an average of 110,093. Rocket League is clearly in the same ballpark. When looking at the RLCS Season 7 World Championship just earlier this year even the viewership is up from peak 202,559 and average 96,106. Compared to exactly a year ago, the RLCS Season 6 World Championship had peak 165,702 and an average 93,149.
These numbers don’t tell the whole story. Rocket League’s developer Psyonix was also bought by Epic Games which means the small studio now has an influx of cash. The game has also seen an increase in players over the past year according to
Steamcharts.com . Add onto this that the Rival Series (secondary league) is