The Esports World Cup 2025 event is on the horizon and drawing ever closer. This monumental showcase of esports stardom boasts a staggering prize pool and promises to feature the talents of several hundred esports competitors from around the world. This year’s event is slated to be the ‘biggest and boldest yet’, and for good reason.
I recently caught up with the Esports World Cup Foundation’s Chief Games Officer, Fabian Scheuermann, and we touched on the topic of how new esports games become esports games. It’s a rocky road for some, even for those designed with esports in mind, and ultimately, you can’t just summon an esports following.
‘The Real Magic’
The origins of esports might lie in the 1970s, but it’s only in the last decade or so that the industry has exploded. It’s a billion-dollar business made up of dozens of games, hundreds of tournaments, and thousands of competitors. It’s fast becoming a rival for some traditional sports when it comes to viewership and opportunities, but it’s still a developing thing in many ways.
All the time, we’re seeing new games pop up on the scene, and while some may only hang around for a few weeks, others go the distance and show a little more longevity.
History has shown that it’s not always possible for a game to be designed with esports in mind and break into that market with success. One recent title that comes to mind is Ubisoft’s XDefiant, which will be taken offline forever next month.
That’s a topic that I discussed with Fabian Scheuermann, Chief Games Officer at the Esports World Cup Foundation:
You’re absolutely right – esports can’t be manufactured overnight. While publishers can build competitive features and invest in infrastructure, the real magic happens when a community embraces a game, competes in it, and builds culture around it.
We’ve seen this dynamic play out across all genres – shooters, strategy, sports, MOBAs, battle royales, fighting games. It’s the entire community, from grassroots to pros, that makes and shapes the future of any game.
Fabian agreed that the growth of gaming has allowed for a solid correlation with the ever-expanding popularity of the esports industry. There are 3.3 billion gamers in the world, and many of them are discovering the exciting world of esports.
What also helps is that gaming has grown tremendously over the last 20 years. There are more players, more engagement, and more ways to participate than ever before.
Games are now deeply embedded in popular culture – with titles inspiring Hollywood films, streaming content, fashion, and music, creating experiences that people live, share, and stay connected to year after year.
Esports has naturally grown alongside that. Fans everywhere love games, whether they’re playing or watching, and that community keeps getting bigger.
This is why events like the $70 million Esports World Cup exist. There are hundreds of millions of esports fans out there, and while it’s tough to get their attention with an all-new game, it’s not impossible. It can’t be manufactured overnight, but given enough time, it can be slowly constructed from the ground up.
What’s your favourite esports title? Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out how games are picked for the Esports World Cup
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
It not popular some like Evo should be shut down