The advent of the Internet helped pave the way for a completely new type of entertainment that encompasses millions and millions of customers around the world. It’s called online gaming and it’s solely a thing of today.
Before the Internet, gaming tournaments were limited due to space limitations. There could only be so many people in the audience who could cheer for their teams or players. The idea of audience participation wasn’t even a thing back then.
When the Internet broke out, however, gaming tournaments suddenly started to reach unprecedented volumes of viewers. From now on, it became possible to accommodate not only live audiences that were present in the big gaming halls but also the remote ones living far away.
This became a perfect opportunity for the gaming industries to increase their revenues drastically because they were able to reach many more people. Not only that, they were able to increase their payouts: whether you’re into online gambling tournaments like Aussie jackpot tournaments or action-packed Call of Duty tournaments, the prizes for the victory reach six-digit figures.
So, in this article, we’ll list some of the most popular online gaming tournaments that are also very lucrative.
Fortnite World Cup
This list wouldn’t be accurate if it didn’t start from this game. According to Business Insider, Fortnite has more than 250 million players around the world, which is almost 4% of the world’s population.
Epic Game’s new addictive game burst into popularity in 2017. From that time, the Fortnite World Cup brings the best players around the world to compete for a weekly $1 million prize. But that’s not the maximum prize: if they manage to make it among the best players, they’ll be given additional challenges to move to the World Cup finals and eventually, win $30 million. Not a small prize, indeed!
Call of Duty Championship
Even though Fortnite is today’s hype, Call of Duty is still one of the most popular and acclaimed first-person shooter games in the world that has been around since 2003. So it’s not surprising that the Call of Duty Championship is among the most favorite tournaments for the players.
The Call of Duty World League and Call of Duty Pro League are the initial tournaments that bring together professional players to compete and climb the competition ladder. Only the most avid players will reach the Call of Duty Championship – the highest-level tournament since 2013.
Every annual tournament is held on the most recent version of the game. The 2018 competition was based on Call of Duty: WWII, while this year’s competition was held on Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships
Speaking of old firs-person shooters, let’s discuss the elephant in the room: Counter-Strike. The Half-Life’s 1999 game became so popular that a monthly average of players reaches 700,000.
The game has one of the most acclaimed venerated tournaments in the esports industry. The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championships, or shortly – Majors, is not only popular but has some of the most lucrative payouts out there: the prize money reaches $1 million.
Evolution Championship Series
Fighting games are another rampant forms of gaming that encompass dozens, and even hundreds, of local tournaments around the world. But the major tournament is the three-day EVO held in Las Vegas.
The annual tournament features the most recent fighting games of that year. For example, this year’s EVO will be held on Tekken 7, Mortal Kombat 11, Street Fighter V, etc.
The most important and distinctive aspect of the tournament is that it is open to professionals and amateurs alike and gives everyone equal opportunities and a warm welcome.
Fifa eWorld Cup
FIFA is yet another game that has been around for a long time. Its championship, FIFA eWorld Cup is also a well-established event that’s actually so big that it’s being broadcast by the television.
FIFA tournament, just like the EVO, is open to anyone who’s willing to compete for a prize. You only have to compete online and qualify as one of the top players.
Pokemon World Championships
Last, but not least, there’s Nintendo with its Pokemon. The company has been slow to keep up its pace with the expanding competitive gaming world, however, its game Pokemon was following the current.
Play! Pokemon tournaments begin at a local level and slowly move to the international arena. The final step is the Pokemon World Championship that is an invite-only tournament for the best Pokemon players.
The proliferation of the Internet has proved to be a revolutionizing event in the modern history of mankind. In almost every aspect of our lives, we see the improvement that is closely related to the Internet. This is certainly the case for online gaming.
Online gaming tournaments have fundamentally changed the modern gaming industry. Players around the world are able to compete against each other, have some fun, raise their adrenaline levels, and if they’re lucky enough – or proficient enough – win a fortune.
