Esports, or electronic sports, is organized competitive video gaming. It has grown into a global industry worth billions of dollars, with tournaments watched live by tens of millions of fans. It has even been compared to traditional sports, and its athletes are known as esports stars.
The most popular esports titles include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), card, fighting and real-time strategy (RTS) games. Some of the most popular tournaments are the League of Legends World Championship, Dota 2’s The International, and the fighting game-specific Evolution Championship Series.
2024 looks to be a big year for esports. The defending MSI champions JD Gaming will likely be among the favorites, as well as any teams from China or Korea that qualify. Defending CDL Champs New York Subliners and the rebranded Miami Heretics have both shown impressive performances in qualifiers, and it’s possible that either team could make the Major’s top eight.
The inaugural Call of Duty Major in Boston should also prove to be a huge event. It’s likely to be a close race, especially if the current top European and Korean teams qualify. G2 Esports, whose CS:GO team is the reigning Katowice champions, look poised to win, but other teams such as FaZe Clan and Complexity Gaming are also in contention.