By 2024, revenue from the global eSports market is forecasted to hit
$1.62 billion, while
the global fantasy sports market is projected to grow
to $38.6 billion in 2025, as per Sports Pro Media. Growth in both markets
is attributed to increased smartphone availability, as well as increased
athlete popularity. While these figures alone demonstrate how successful
fantasy and eSports have been over the last few years, there’s another
indication of just how far into the mainstream these markets are:
Hollywood’s making movies about them.
eSports and Fantasy Sports Hit The Big Screen
Like all sports movies, from Rocky to Clash of the Titans, eSports makes
for good dramas. The high intensity, the pressure, the diversity of
participants — it’s Hollywood gold. Many filmmakers have taken advantage
of eSports’ growing audience, and in the early 2010s, well before the
industry reached the level it’s at now, we saw films like Noobz and Rise
of the eSports Hero released. The latter is a documentary about the
sub-culture of pro-gaming, specifically focusing on one of the best
eSports teams in North America, Team Evil Geniuses. The film follows the
team as they participate in different competitions, and it gives insight
into what it means to attain success in eSports. Noobz, on the other hand,
is an American comedy by Blake Freeman that follows four friends as they
try to win the Cyber Bowl video game Championship.
Fantasy sports also made their Hollywood debut in an ESPN 30 for 30 film
called Silly Little Game. The movie looks back on the origins of fantasy
sports and tells the true story of a group of friends who
developed and popularized modern fantasy baseball in the 1980s. They called it the Rotisserie League, named after the New York City
restaurant where they played the first game.
Are We Surprised? Not Really
It was only a matter of time before eSports and fantasy sports made their
big-screen debut. After all, almost every other form of entertainment has
welcomed the industries due to their unavoidable popularity. For example,
in 2021, streaming giant Netflix partnered with Riot Games and released an
animated series called Arcane. This partnership shows Netflix is paying
attention to the eSports space, considering Riot Games has been a primary
driver in the market’s explosive growth over the last year or so. For
instance, in 2020, Riot Games’ League of Legends World Championship
eSports competition witnessed record-breaking viewership.
Additionally, this mainstream popularity of fantasy sports sites has
allowed these platforms to branch out into other areas, extending their
reach and merging different audiences. For instance, FanDuel started as a
daily fantasy sports provider in 2009 but has since expanded its game
variety. FanDuel now offers sports betting and casino games in addition to
fantasy sports. This diversity has allowed FanDuel to partner with some of
the top sports leagues and teams, and it has become a fan favorite as a
result. Then again, it could be because players have
the option to use a FanDuel casino promo code
to play free table games and slots online, as per CasinoSmash. Offering
incentives like promotions is something many entertainment sites do, and
it’s proving fruitful for fantasy sports sites looking to attract and
retain users.
Fantasy sports and eSports are pushing even further into mainstream
media, so it’s no surprise to see Hollywood is making movies about the
industries. Plus, as the global sports market continues to grow in 2022,
we’re likely to see more films of this nature released.