Delivered at Casual Connect Europe 2017. Is esports just a hype? We'll discuss why developers should carefully manage their expectations and why you can't just choose esports, but how esports chooses you. We'll look into how you need to change the way you plan your game, in order to address competitive gaming.

1. WHY ESPORTS MATTERS
AND WHAT DEVELOPERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017

2. DO YOU FEEL THE HYPE?
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017
A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR BUSINESS IN THE MAKING
If esports would generate as much revenues per fan
as the NBA, it would be a $2.5Bn business today, or
5 times what it is now
90
MILLION
131
MILLION
180
MILLION114
MILLION
125
MILLION
165
MILLION
OCCASIONAL VIEWERS
ENTHUSIASTS
2014 2016 20192015
115
MILLION
111
MILLION
YoY
+13.3%
YoY
+11.2%
CAGR
2014-2019
+11.2%
POWERED BY
© Newzoo | 2016 Global Esports Market Report + Esports Data Report Oct. 2016

3. ESPORTS ON THE RISE
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017
ESPN Magazine – The esports Issue
June 2015
“For the first time in generations
we’re witnessing the birth of a
new sport…”
“…Gaming is what every
traditional sports league is
desperate to become: young,
global, digital and increasingly
diverse.”

4. ESL: WE CREATE ESPORTS
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017
Sponsors &
Partnerships
ESL has partnership
relations >10 years
Game Developers &
Publishers
ESL has a proven track
record with the leading game
studios and publishers
Distribution
ESL own the distribution
rights and production to
the events
Leagues &
Tournaments
ESL host the
biggest events all
around the world
Teams &
Players relationship
ESL has long-lasting
relationship with the
teams and players
Associations (i.e. WESA)
ESL together with the top
CSGO teams founded WESA
to unite teams with the
tournaments and leagues
Operations

5. WHY CARE?
• Esports means user engagement and rentention in the first place
• Provides opportunities for content activation
• Foundation for a long lifecycle of your game
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017

6. THE NEXT BIG ESPORTS GAME?
• DON‘T develop for esports (without understanding the road ahead)
• Rather develop a competitive multiplayer game, with esports in mind
• Have a viable business model for your game in place
• Be prepared for esports features, but implement over time
• Grow your audience – players first, spectators second
• Be patient, but be ready when things take off
• Keep improving
• Do something different!
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017

7. COMPETITIVE GAMES
• Gameplay focus is synchronous PVP
• Online
• Gameplay mechanics with clear skill curve (“easy to
learn, hard to master”)
• Very often free-to-play
• Attractive to watch
• Player motivation driven by aspiration (achievement,
winning, skill improvement)
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017

8. CORE FEATURES
MATCHMAKING
• Matching players from a queue
• Skill-based at some point
• Some form of incentive system
CUSTOM LOBBIES
• Make it possible for people to select all match participants
• Allow settings to be made, and have result screens with player
names
ANTI-CHEAT
• Especially PC games need to be tamper-proof
• Store as much telemetric data as possible on the server side
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017

9. EVOLUTION INTO ESPORTS
RETAIN EARLY ADOPTERS
Family & Friends, Alpha
BUILD TO 24/7 ACTIVITY
Alpha to Closed Beta
GROW A SPORT
Open Beta to Release
• Smart choices in game design,
feature selection and competitive
mode
• Scale activity offering over time
• Constant, active communication
with players
• Focus on player liquidity in
matchmaking
• Incentivize competitive play
• Love your influencers
• Lay groundwork for competitive
structure
• Increase content frequency
• Add more gameplay options as
player base grows
Arne Peters – Casual Connect Berlin 2017

10. ESPORTS IS
ENTERTAINMENT!
Arne Peters
Vice President, Strategic Relations
a.peters@eslgaming.com