Over the last couple of years, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports has become one of the hottest properties within the entire industry.

The MLBB scene has always been a mainstay in Southeast Asia, with its competitions regularly featuring in top esports viewership lists. However, global esports organisations have now started to take notice of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s passionate — and growing — audience. 

NAVI, one of the most recognisable teams within Counter-Strike 2, has become the latest name to stake its claim in MLBB, entering the ecosystem’s most popular league, MPL Indonesia.

“This is one of the best titles in the world,” stated NAVI’s COO Aleksey Kucherov when speaking with Esports Insider. “It has an awesome audience and huge viewership and fan base, especially in Southeast Asia and in Indonesia.

“NAVI is one of the biggest clubs in the world and we have many different titles in our portfolio. Of course, we can’t miss one of the best titles in the world, which Mobile Legends is, so that’s why we wanted to get in. And finally, it happened.”

Interestingly this isn’t the first time that NAVI has been in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with the organisation previously operating a CIS roster. Despite its short tenure (less than a year), NAVI competed at Mobile Legends’ biggest international event in 2021, the M3 World Championship. 

Kucherov highlighted that this brief stint proved to be very significant, opening the Ukrainian organisation’s eyes to MLBB’s potential.  

“It was the start for us. It was the first meeting with MOONTON in general, with their approach and with the game itself,” he said. “Because we liked the approach from MOONTON and how Mobile Legends was structured, in general, we wanted to get in the best region possible this time.”

A major trend that has occurred within Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports is Western esports organisations tapping into the league’s Southeast Asian market. 

What’s fascinating is seeing how these Western brands have entered the scene using a variety of avenues. Last year, Fnatic secured a strategic partnership with ONIC to create a rebranded MLBB roster for 2024. Meanwhile, Team Falcons went from partnering with AP.Bren to acquiring its own MPL Philippines slot outright earlier this year. 

Going into the new season of MPL Indonesia — set to commence March 7th — NAVI’s COO told Esports Insider that there were two routes the organisation could take: acquire a franchise slot from MOONTON or purchase an existing organisation in the league. NAVI chose the latter, acquiring Indonesian organisation Rebellion Esports for an undisclosed figure. 

“The region, the audience and the work approach in general, this is something new for us,” Kucherov noted. “We need some expertise in Mobile Legends, we need some expertise with working with fans in the region and some ready infrastructure and operations on site.”

What was also emphasised while speaking with NAVI’s COO was the organisation’s focus on long-term investment: “Acquisition and long-term commitment in Mobile Legends, having the NAVI brand in the region, this is our focus and that’s why we moved in this way.”

Despite NAVI’s long-term goals, Kucherov did admit that its expansion into Mobile Legends: Bang Bang — and its recent venture into Chess — was influenced by the Esports World Cup. The COO highlighted that its expansion into more EWC titles was one of NAVI’s focuses this year.

It’s important to remember that it takes two to make a deal, so what was Rebellion Esports’ reasoning for becoming part of the NAVI family? 

According to Jonathan Yuwono, Rebellion Esports’ founder and now General Manager of NAVI MLBB, the prospect of joining NAVI was too good to turn down. Founded in 2019, the Indonesian organisation entered the MLBB scene in 2021 after taking over the franchise slot of Aerowolf Pro Team.

“We went from a local organisation playing in one title to becoming part of a global organisation that plays all the largest game titles in the world,” recalled Yuwono.

“I thought this was just an opportunity that we really couldn’t pass up. From previous shareholders to MOONTON, to staff to players, this was just an opportunity that we felt if we didn’t take now, we just didn’t know when it would ever come again.”

Whilst MPL Indonesia will always be catered towards its regional audience — which makes sense given the fact that Season 14 garnered 4m viewers — there is now a massive international rivalry in the league. 

After acquiring Southeast Asian esports organisation STUN.GG in 2024, Team Liquid has competed in MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines for the past two seasons. When asked about the opportunity to clash with Team Liquid on a new stage, Kucherov explained that he was excited to see a familiar face in the league.

“When we saw the announcement that Team Liquid joined Indonesia, we were very happy,” he said. “We congratulated them and it gave us another confirmation that we are moving in the right way.”

In Team Liquid’s first year in MLBB, the organisation’s Philippines team qualified for the Mid Season Cup 2024. Meanwhile, its Indonesian roster valiantly finished second at last year’s M6 World Championship. Having another established Western name alongside NAVI in the scene also provides easy-to-deliver storylines that can entice fans of both organisations to watch their teams compete.   

Regarding NAVI’s own ambitions, both Yunwono and Kucherov highlighted domestic success, aiming for a potential top-two finish in MPL Indonesia. However, both emphasised that this is a long-term project and that patience is needed. 

“I think we need to have some patience as well,” explained NAVI MLBB’s General Manager.

“We do want to always get the best players, but, season to season, we don’t know whether that player is available for sale. We’re also committed to developing young talent. So there are many ways, many routes, to have a championship roster.”

Kucherov added: “This is not our first year in esports, we know how it’s structured. We know that, as Jonathan said, we need patience. We know that results will come with all the efforts we can put in, but they can not come immediately.”

MPL Indonesia Season 15 is set to be one of MLBB’s most anticipated leagues ever. 

Team Liquid ID is fresh from an impressive run at M6, NAVI is entering the fold and popular organisation RRQ Hoshi is looking to make a statement. All eyes should be on MLBB in 2025, no matter if fans are from Southeast Asia or not. 

G2 Esports swept EDward Gaming in a dominant fashion at VALORANT Masters Bangkok, securing a spot in the Grand Final.

This was the second meeting between the two teams, and with both securing one victory each, the rivalry is brewing up. EDG still has another chance to reach the Grand Final, so a potential rematch is not out of the picture, with fans, and event players, eager to see the rivalry’s next chapter.

G2’s initiator, Trent ‘trent’ Cairns, shares this sentiment as he expressed his desire to face EDG again in the Grand Final in a post-match interview.

“Playing against EDG again would be a great match for us, and I’d love to face them again. I think they’re the best team here, and I enjoy competing against them,” said trent following the match.

After avenging the team’s previous loss, G2’s IGL Jacob ‘valyn’ Batio and Head Coach Josh ‘JoshRT’ Lee, emphasised how breaking EDG mentally was a key factor in their victory.

When Esports Insider asked valyn about handling high-pressure situations, he responded: “When we played them (EDG) the first time, we got hit pretty hard and didn’t know how to adapt.

“But we learned from that, and now I’d say if they try to do it again, we have the adaptations—without revealing what they are. We’re ready for that playstyle. If they want a rematch in the Grand Final, they’ll probably try it again, but this time, we’re prepared.”

However, for another showdown to take place, EDG needs to first get past T1 in the BO5 Lower Final. Meanwhile, G2 will return to action on March 2nd, marking its first-ever appearance in a Grand Final of an international VCT event.

All the remaining matches of VALORANT Masters Bangkok will be streamed live on VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.

While Juan ‘Hungrybox‘ DeBiedma’s emotional curse-breaking win stole the headlines from Genesis X2, Super Smash Bros. Melee player Derek ‘Aura‘ Olsen also documented an incredible run.

Peach main Aura has been the talk of the Super Smash Bros. Melee community with the player placing 9th after beating some of the scene’s top players.

Aura has gone to Genesis every year — the Major is right in his backyard as a Portland native — but this year was different. While already considered Oregon’s number one player, the 33rd player in the official SSBMRank could sense that something special was happening this time after beating Miles ‘Soonsay’ Foster, ranked 13th.

After finishing the five-game set, Aura noticed that it was more than the usual Pacific Northwest crowd forming around the chunky TV as he was asked to pose for Top 16 photos.

“I’ve played Melee for a long time and to be on the run that I have wanted for years… I had to tell production I needed a moment. And that’s when it was really starting to hit me. All these years of hard work were paying off,” Aura recalled to Esports Insider.

Aura is a humble player. When asked about his Peach playstyle he said he sticks to the basics, nothing flashy, nothing out of the ordinary. When asked how he felt about beating so many top players, Aura said he overperformed, and that number two-ranked Cody Schwab was playing bad that set.

But that early moment in Top 64 was a sign of what was to come. The Portland crowd starting to form around the CRT TV noticed that Schwab was taking Aura seriously. He was feeling the pressure, even turning around and telling Aura’s supporters to be quiet, stating: “This is my job.”

It’s not hard to rile up Schwab, even so, there was no denying that Aura was dominating, crowd or no crowd.

Once Aura met Justin ‘Wizzrobe‘ Hallett in the Winners Quarters, however, he couldn’t pretend it was a normal Melee run anymore. While Wizzrobe is known for steamrolling Peach mains, commentators felt Aura was the one to beat.

During the set, Aura couldn’t hold back. The player managed to smack Wizzrobe off the stage to go 2-1. At that point, the stream captured tears in his eyes as he screamed with raw emotion and relief. It was a moment that was later criticised by some in the Melee community since the set wasn’t even done yet, but Aura had become overwhelmed by climbing Top 16 as the PNW Melee crowd cheered him on.

Wizzrobe ended up winning the match in a close 3-2 but most of the comments from the Melee community are focused on Aura’s entertaining performance and the hype of the PNW supporters. It has been cemented as one of the best moments of Genesis X2.

“I love playing Melee and competing in Melee. It’s something I am so passionate about that my emotions get the best of me and I don’t know how to act in every situation,” Aura explained to Esports Insider. “I was just being excited for myself. If people dislike me or find me cringe for crying about the set, then so be it. I’m a nerd who loves Melee.”

In the end, Aura’s run of a lifetime was cut short by Kurtis ‘moky‘ Pratt, just missing the Top 8. But it was something that the PNW Melee crowd — and the Smash community in general — won’t forget. Aura wasn’t upset, he was on cloud nine the rest of the weekend and determined to push himself even further.

Aura has quit his credit union job following the Genesis X2 run and plans to pursue Melee full-time. It was already his main passion, practising two to four hours a day and attending every Portland local (hosted in his friend’s basement every Wednesday with some beers).

His next focus is Altitude Sickness 2, Battle of BC 7 and Fight at the Museum. He hopes to beat top players he hasn’t beaten yet and place Top 8 in a Major.

“Truthfully it’s been awesome,” Aura told Esports Insider of the support he’s gotten since Genesis X2.

“I’ve felt for a long time I’ve been a pretty unrecognizable top 50 player. With this run, the amount of support and fans I’ve gotten since has been unbelievable. People have been super nice and telling me how much they loved watching me play.”

Sentinels is set to compete in its fourth Masters event, VALORANT Masters Bangkok, following an outstanding performance at Americas Kickoff 2025.

However, for the first time, the team will set foot on the international stage without its star player, Tyson ‘TenZ’ Ngo, after he announced his retirement in 2024.

TenZ was the longest-serving member of Sentinels and the first North American player to win VALORANT Masters twice, both times with the American org. Establishing himself as one of the best duelists in his early VALORANT competitive career, he later transitioned into an impactful controller and initiator for the team.

In a pre-event press conference, Jordan ‘Zellsis’ Montemurro was asked about Sentinels’ expectations for VALORANT Masters Bangkok without TenZ being on the roster.

“I think we’re gonna be good,” Zellsis said. “I’ve said before in an interview that this Sentinels roster has the highest skill ceiling we’ve ever had in terms of potential.”

He continued: “Obviously, TenZ is a phenomenal player and an X-factor, but we have our own little X-factor here [looking towards N4RRATE], so that void is filled.”

Sentinels faced difficulties after the departures of TenZ and Sacy, struggling with consistency during the 2024 off-season. However, things eventually fell into place as the team secured its spot at Masters Bangkok, with young talents Marshall ‘N4RRATE’ Massey and Sean ‘Bang’ Bezerra stepping up to complete the roster.

“It’s amazing to qualify for Masters, especially considering the identity crisis we went through in the off-season while testing things,” said Zellsis.

“I think we got a little lucky with our roster moves, bringing in N4RRATE and Bang—both incredibly talented and hungry to win. Given the short time we’ve had as a team and how young we are, qualifying this early is a blessing. Honestly, I’m just happy to be here.”

Sentinels will be playing their Masters Bangkok opening match against DRX on February 20th. Fans can catch all the action live on VCT’s official Twitch and YouTube channels.

Whilst 2024 provided esports fanbases with memorable moments, 2025 looks set to be a milestone year for the industry.

Valve’s well-documented Counter-Strike ecosystem rules will be enacted in 2025, resulting in major changes to BLAST and ESL events. Meanwhile, Riot Games has completely revamped its global League of Legends ecosystem, introducing two new leagues — LTA and LCP  — and a third international tournament to its calendar. 

For Esports Insider’s look ahead, we asked various prominent industry stakeholders to predict what will happen in 2025. This includes asking which scene will have the most development in 2025 and what the industry needs to work on to succeed. 

This is part two of Esports Insider’s industry series; make sure to check out what stakeholders said about 2024.

Steve Arhancet, CEO, Team Liquid: “I think that in 2025, esports will solidify itself as a cultural force rather than a fleeting trend. The past few years have forced companies to mature and evolve, and the separation between companies that have built real businesses and those who chase empty metrics will grow even more significant. 

“Because of this, we will see more consolidation, mergers and acquisitions.” 

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “More consolidation of teams into global organisations capable of competing in major games, major regions and global fandoms.”

Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO, Team Vitality: “I’d probably expect a continuation of the trends we’re seeing now, with even more established positions and a growing gap between the industry leaders and the rest of the world. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to operate in this industry if you’re not a top team. Even for the top teams, there are a lot of challenges…

“That said, I think we’ll also see more top teams reaching a point where they can say they’re more or less sustainable. Whether they’ll be profitable, and by what margin, is still unclear, but I’d say this ongoing transition we have all experienced over the last three years will probably reach a point where the top teams are in a more comfortable position.”

Daniel Finkler, CEO, BIG: “In 2025, esports will continue its global expansion, with classic esports and mobile gaming solidifying its dominance. AI and data analytics will revolutionise key areas like marketing, coaching, strategy and fan engagement, while teams increasingly adopt diversified business models to ensure financial sustainability.”

Faisal Binhomran, Chief Product Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation: “Mobile will be the biggest growth area in esports, showing huge potential for the future. It’s easy to see why—it’s accessible, powered by fast-growing networks and supported by the ever-improving performance of handheld devices…

“We saw the huge popularity of events like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, FreeFire and others at the Esports World Cup this year, and look forward to even more growth in the mobile space.”

Hicham Chahine, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas: “Mobile games within esports are starting to transition into more globally recognised esports, and will continue to make their mark on the global ecosystem.”

Animesh ‘8Bit Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder, S8UL: “In 2025, esports will continue expanding into more titles, creating opportunities for a broader range of players and audiences. As new games gain traction, regions like South Asia and MENA are expected to emerge as significant contributors to the global esports ecosystem. 

“Mobile esports will remain dominant in mobile-first markets, further solidifying its position as a key driver of growth.”

Monica Dinsmore, Senior Director of Esports and Ventures Brand, Electronic Arts: “The competitive gaming landscape continued to evolve in 2024, and 2025 promises to be yet another transformative year. A winning esports strategy in 2025 requires a much more targeted approach to maximise player engagement and retention. Expect to see publishers embrace cultural differences and prioritise esports efforts across core regions and core game titles…

“From virtual naming rights to UGC (User-Generated Content), esports has proved itself as a powerful marketing platform for brands to reach young consumers.”

Craig Levine, co-CEO, ESL FACEIT Group: “The Rise of Super Events — The success of landmark tournaments like IEM Rio and global events like the Esports World Cup have signalled a transition for competitions beyond national and regional boundaries…

“UGC Reshaping the Publishing Model — From brands flocking to make custom maps in Fortnite to Roblox player counts surging, user-generated content is having its moment.

“What’s Old is New Again — The success of video game adaptations and nostalgia culture in 2024 has set the stage for this approach to dominate how publishers wield their IP next year.”

Moritz Maurer, CEO and Founder, GRID: “Betting proved to be a large engagement driver and sustainability contributor for esports. Riot Games’ move to unlock the sponsor category will pave the way for many other game titles to follow suit…

“My prediction is that this development will aid the sustainability of esports significantly, accelerate growth of the ecosystem and deliver value for fans ultimately.”

The beginning of the year means brand new KPIs for 2025. So, we asked esports companies what their targets are for the new year and summarised them below.

Daniel Finkler, CEO, BIG: To remain Germany’s leading esports organisation globally by fostering local talent to represent the country across various titles. Expanding its digital and physical infrastructure, including BIG Bootcamp and its UNLTD merchandise operations in Turkey.

Robbie Douek, CEO, BLAST: “Ultimately, 2025 is about growth with intention — expanding our reach, refining our operations and setting the standard for what global esports can achieve.”

Monica Dinsmore, Senior Director of Esports and Ventures Brand, Electronic Arts: To deliver “unforgettable experiences” for its players – whether in the game, on stream, on the main stage or in the stands.

Michael Haenisch, CEO, Freaks 4U Gaming: To further its collaboration with NODWIN Gaming, expand Freaks 4U Gaming’s coverage into emerging markets and solidify its positioning as a global agency in gaming, esports and entertainment.

Moritz Maurer, CEO and Founder, GRID: “To be the standard for data in gaming and esports.”

Marco Mereu, Founder and CEO, M80: To expand and diversify its esports portfolio, deepen its engagement with global audiences and create opportunities for emerging esports talent in North America. “We are ready to help lead North America into the Esports Spring.”

Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming: To expand its global footprint, strengthen local IPs and “continue bridging gaming with mainstream entertainment.”

Animesh ‘8Bit Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder, S8UL: “To set global standards in esports” with its BGMI and Pokémon Unite lineups. S8UL also aims to redefine how brands work with esports and gaming as well as create diverse opportunities for gamers from all backgrounds.

Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO, Team Vitality: To return to being the best esports organisation in the world. “With a special focus on being present in Paris for VALORANT Champions and recapturing the magic of our CS2 team’s performance at the Paris Major in 2023. That’s the 2025 dream!”

Steve Arhancet, CEO, Team Liquid: “Team Liquid achieved its 2024 goal of being EBITDA positive.” For 2025, it wants to invest more to accomplish Team Liquid’s mission to “be a leader in competitive gaming and build a global and multigenerational sports team.”

Steve Arhancet, CEO, Team Liquid: “Monetisation models remain the Achilles’ heel of esports.  We need to find that next gear beyond just ad spend and sponsorships, and create direct fan monetisation systems that feel natural, rewarding and equitable. 

“This would go hand-in-hand with improved economics between developers and/or tournament organisers and teams.”

Daniel Finkler, CEO, BIG: “The industry must address financial stability through stronger collaboration among publishers, teams and tournament organisers. A fair revenue-sharing model is essential for creating a balanced ecosystem that supports all stakeholders while ensuring long-term growth…

“My opinion is that publishers don’t have the expertise themselves to create healthy ecosystems themselves. It’s all about listening to feedback from tournament organisers, clubs and fans to establish a healthy and sustainable environment.” 

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “Better synergy between publishers and teams, with more publishers rethinking their revenue sharing model like we’re seeing from Riot Games and Ubisoft.”

Hicham Chahine, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas: “In 2025 we will see a lot of transition in certain ecosystems — Counter-Strike and League of Legends especially. We need to ensure as a full ecosystem that we work together managing this transition.”

Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming: “The industry must prioritise regulatory clarity, player welfare and grassroots development. Establishing uniform regulations across states and nations is critical to ensuring sustainable growth.”

Skyler Johnson, Founder, Paper Crowns: “The industry needs to open more lines of honest communication and general transparency to not only audiences and brands, but also the employees working for these companies and organisations. 

“Speak directly about financial instability and growth to allow more smart minds to thrive and help innovate the industry.” 

Animesh ‘8Bit Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder, S8UL: “In 2025, esports must focus on sustainability, grassroots development and creating a long-term ecosystem for players. Establishing structured pathways from amateur to professional levels will be key to ensuring a steady pipeline of talent.”

Craig Levine, co-CEO, ESL FACEIT Group: “It’ll be important to reprioritise grassroots gaming communities. The esports audience is growing 18% year-over-year. In 2024, we saw record-setting attendance at our DreamHack festivals, industry-high viewership for our open Snapdragon Pro Series mobile esports tournaments, and users flocking to connect with each other with the launch of FACEIT 2.0.”

Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO, Team Vitality: “I think VALORANT will undergo the most development in 2025. I think Riot has huge ambitions for the upcoming Champions, as it will be the fifth edition, and I think there are high ambitions to make it quite special.”

Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming: “VALORANT is poised for significant growth in 2025, with expanding franchised leagues, enhanced community engagement and increasing investments from brands and media companies.

“Its appeal as a team-based, spectator-friendly title makes it a prime candidate for deeper global integration and professionalisation.”

Animesh ‘8Bit Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder, S8UL: “In 2025, titles like VALORANT, BGMI, and other mobile-first titles will see significant growth. VALORANT will continue its upward trajectory, with a growing global fan base and improvements in competitive formats. 

“BGMI will remain a dominant force in mobile esports, strengthening India’s esports ecosystem.”

Hicham Chahine, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas: “Very simply, it’s MLBB! The title’s esports ecosystem is making big steps to become a more recognisable global esport and is quickly gaining traction in all corners of the globe.”

Daniel Finkler, CEO, BIG: “That’s a tough question, but I believe Counter-Strike 2 and League of Legends will continue to dominate as cornerstone titles. Additionally, Fortnite and several mobile esports titles will likely play a major role in the 2025 esports cycle. 

“My strong belief is that all major publishers will increasingly recognise esports as a central revenue driver, leading to further innovation and investment in their competitive ecosystems.”

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “Valve has decided to significantly change the very successful Counter-Strike ecosystem with less security for the organisations investing the most resources. This is gonna be interesting to see how the new model with multiple esports organisers will come together.”

Robbie Douek, CEO, BLAST: Counter-Strike is entering a new stage of its esports journey, with Valve’s changes coming into play from 2025, the scene is set to have more events, more locations and more opportunities than ever before…

“If all goes to plan, this could be BLAST Premier’s biggest year yet, and we can’t wait to share it with fans around the world.”

Skyler Johnson, Founder of Paper Crowns: “It could be a release of a game we haven’t seen yet. 

“Publishers will need to stay on their toes to nail the combination of solid in-game releases, map creation and innovative viewing experiences to stay top of mind to their audiences. It’s hard to say, but we keep a close eye on Epic Games.”

While most tech startups chase venture capital, XBorg is seemingly pursuing a different vision: building an open infrastructure to benefit the gaming industry.

Founded in 2022, XBorg has built a product that allows esports teams to easily create customised fan applications that provide gamified and immersive fan experiences. Some of the company’s partners already include the likes of Team Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team BDS.

In 2024 it was announced that XBorg had raised a total of $9m exclusively from individual investors. As a result, XBorg today has over 25,000 gamers and industry enthusiasts who now collectively own the company and guide its development.

“Traditional companies optimise for shareholder returns. We’re optimising for industry-wide impact by creating a public good for gaming,” explained Louis Regis, XBorg’s Founder and CEO.

“When your stakeholders are the users of your platform, you can focus on long-term value creation rather than quarterly results.”

As esports organisations look to develop loyal, lifetime fans, a variety of tools and marketing strategies have been utilised to bolster fan engagement. One of these methods is the development of apps that look to connect fans closer to teams through reward systems and personalised content. However, developing these apps can be a major undertaking. 

By working with XBorg, a team can launch personalised content feeds, achievement-based rewards or community challenges in days – all while maintaining their branding and user experience.

“Esports teams shouldn’t need a software development team to launch innovative fan features,” said Louis. 

“We’re simplifying the technical heavy lifting so brands can focus on what they do best – engaging with their communities.”

Powering these capabilities is XBorg’s core technical infrastructure, which consolidates fragmented gaming data into unified player profiles. The protocol aggregates achievements, gameplay statistics, social engagement and other metrics across games and platforms, creating digital identities that teams can leverage to create meaningful fan experiences.

“We provide the developer tools, APIs and templates that let teams focus on creating unique experiences rather than building infrastructure from scratch,” Louis explained.

“It’s similar to how Stripe simplified payments – we’re simplifying the technical heavy lifting for better fan experiences.”

XBorg’s community ownership model enables a different kind of long-term thinking. 

By steering away from traditional venture capital investment methods, XBorg hopes that it can focus on its mission of becoming a ‘public good’ for the gaming industry as opposed to generating quick returns.

This structure creates unique alignments, allowing developers to suggest features and build new applications on top of the protocol. Meanwhile, casual gamers can influence the direction of the products to enhance their gaming experience.

“When you’re building public infrastructure, having the actual users guide development just makes sense”, noted Louis. “Our community understands gaming’s needs firsthand because they are also esports fans.”

While XBorg’s decentralised approach is different, it also raises questions. Can a community-governed entity effectively compete with venture-backed competitors?

The company’s bet is that community alignment will prove more valuable than traditional corporate resources. In an industry exploring new business models, XBorg’s experiment in decentralised ownership looks to offer a new template for how gaming infrastructure gets built and governed.

“Our end goal is to open-source as many components of our industry as possible,” stated Louis. 

“By making our infrastructure community-owned, we ensure it serves the entire ecosystem rather than any single company’s interests.”

As the esports industry continues to mature, XBorg’s community-first approach could signal a broader shift in how gaming infrastructure evolves – one where the lines between users, developers, and owners become increasingly blurred.

Esports has always been an ever-evolving industry, with the sector looking to cement itself within mainstream culture. 

To gauge how the sector has changed, every year Esports Insider asks a range of prominent industry stakeholders to review and reflect on the past year in esports.

Looking back on the year as a whole, 2024 has undergone its fair share of major esports announcements and milestones. Starting with the transition from competitive CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2, the esports sector was introduced to the Esports World Cup and the Overwatch Champions Series. Meanwhile, League of Legends’ LCS bid its final farewell. 

2024 was also defined by how esports organisations and ecosystems continued to navigate, adapt and grow throughout esports winter’s tough conditions. Consolidation was a prominent phrase used throughout the year with organisations announcing major acquisitions and mergers to strengthen their position in the sector. 

Read on to see how stakeholders in the sector defined esports in 2024, including which scenes showed the best (and worst) impressions. 

This year’s edition features comments from the likes of Team Vitality, Ninjas in Pyjamas, G2 Esports, BLAST, ESL FACEIT Group and more. 

Steve Arhancet, CEO, Team Liquid: “In short, it was a complete battleground of enormous transformation for all sides of the equation — players, agencies, teams and developers alike. Some businesses were washed away, but there are still powerhouses in every region, and games are flourishing. 

“The number of gamers and esports fans continue to grow but it’s not a given that businesses will be able to capitalise on the opportunity. We have to figure out how to commercialise and engage with them in new and exciting ways, which is challenging, but refreshing.”

Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO, Team Vitality: “I’d say 2024 has been a year of consolidation. We’re not seeing many new leagues or games launching, but rather a clearer understanding across the industry of what really matters. The key games and tournaments, like League of Legends, CS2 and VALORANT, are more firmly established, and the gap between these leaders and the rest of the industry is growing.”

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “2024 has really been a great year for esports. The introduction of the Esports World Cup providing eight weeks of game-changing competition followed by the announcement of the IOC Olympic Esports Games breathes new life into the ecosystem, on top of all the regular tournaments running all year round. 

“Global fandom is also on the rise. This is something we’ve been working on as we expand our presence across the world, but other teams are succeeding in this as well — no longer are teams just tied to one region with one set of fans…

“Diversity is becoming more normal in esports — there are more tournaments and we even saw mixed tournaments this year with VALORANT and Red Bull, providing opportunities for women to compete alongside men in top-tier competition.”  

Monica Dinsmore, Senior Director of Esports and Ventures Brand, Electronic Arts: “In 2024, esports continued to prove its worth as a powerful tool for engagement, reacquisition and community building. 

“While the industry is still figuring out a structure that works for everyone, we’re seeing stakeholders reframe their approach to the industry. At EA, we’ve found success by prioritising our player bases in our core competitive titles: Apex Legends, EA SPORTS FC and Madden NFL.”

Faisal Binhomran, Chief Product Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation: “Esports in 2024 was about maturing and flourishing. After a tough 2023, we saw record numbers come back to viewership and events on the professional level, which is incredibly encouraging as we turn the calendar to 2025. 

“With global events like the Esports World Cup, or League of Legends’ Worlds and Mobile Legends’ M6, we see incredible growth and the industry is truly coming into its own.”

Hicham Chahine, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas: “Overall it’s been a good year for esports. While the initial months may have been cautious, we’re now in a position where things are beginning to trend upward again. This has been for several reasons, one being the macroeconomic climate. Inflation rates are coming down, which means interest rates are coming down and brands are more excited to invest in esports again.”

Animesh ‘8Bit Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder, S8UL: “Esports in 2024 solidified its position as a mainstream cultural phenomenon. The distinction between competitive esports and gaming became clearer, helping audiences and stakeholders better understand the ecosystem. 

“At the same time, esports, traditional sports and influencer-driven content began working more cohesively, creating synergies that enhanced fan experiences and industry growth.”

Robbie Douek, CEO, BLAST: “2024 has felt like a year of transformation and growth for esports. After navigating some challenging times in 2022 and 2023, this year has really marked a resurgence — a renewed sense of drive, ambition and focus on consumer-facing events.

“There’s been a clear push to bring esports closer to fans, and that’s been a hugely positive shift for the industry.”

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “2024 has been a record-breaking competitive year for G2, with more trophies won than ever before…

“We’ve also continued our growth in China — we’re the top western team in China on social media and top five teams overall vs Chinese teams. Our total VCT bundle sales were more than 50% from our Chinese fans, which is a great indication of our fanbase in the region.” 

Marco Mereu, Founder and CEO, M80: Survival. Esports is coming out of its toughest stretch in the history of the industry as the landscape of esports resets to workable models and revenue structures that make sense for long-term growth. 

“While many teams were focused almost entirely on sponsorship revenue, we doubled down on emerging categories such as in-game digital goods and influencer-based CPG. This has enabled us to be buyers in a buyers market, most recently acquiring Beastcoast and adding to our esports and media portfolios. 

Daniel Finkler, CEO of BIG: “BIG’s standout achievements in 2024 include qualifying for the CS2 Shanghai Major and advancing to the elimination stage — a testament to our players’ dedication and performance.”

Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO, Team Vitality: “Team Vitality’s single biggest achievement in 2024 was undoubtedly the CS2 team’s victory at IEM Cologne. As one of the most prestigious esports events, it’s an important box to tick if you want to be amongst the most legendary CS teams ever.”

Steve Arhancet, CEO, Team Liquid: “Navigating our participation at the Esports World Cup held in Saudi Arabia and then finishing second place — I think this was a true achievement on a handful of fronts. 

“Our second-place finish was a result of our commitment to and consistency in many top esports titles, and it was especially satisfying to see Clem claim a title in StarCraft II. We were also able to maintain our values and compete as we are at the event, wearing our Pride jersey as we have done so for many years.”

​​Hicham Chahine, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas: “Listing NIP Group on the NASDAQ stock market was a monumental milestone for us and it certainly came with its own set of challenges. While we had to adjust during this transition, it firmly supported our plans to expand globally into key regions.

“Looking at how our competitive campaign played out, we lived up to expectations in areas — especially with our great year in the LPL.”

Craig Levine, co-CEO, ESL FACEIT Group: “IEM Cologne sold out the LANXESS Arena and attracted fans from around the world, the inaugural DreamHack Stockholm brought our most-attended European festival to the Swedish capital, FACEIT 2.0 expanded resources on our competitive gaming platform for over 30m users and our Live Legendary campaign put fans at the forefront of ESL’s 25th anniversary.

Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST: “2024 has been a record-breaking year for BLAST across the board. What really stands out is how much we’ve grown—not just in revenue but in the scale of what we’ve delivered. 

“We doubled the number of arena shows compared to the previous year, which is testament to that year-on-year growth. We have been able to ramp up our output across our esports titles, bringing Rocket League and Dota 2 into the mix.”

Michael Haenisch, CEO, Freaks 4U Gaming: “From the corporate and strategic development perspective, our biggest achievement in 2024 was becoming part of NODWIN Gaming…

“Regarding our esports ventures, 2024 was a landmark year for the League of Legends Prime League.”

Moritz Maurer, CEO and Founder, GRID: In 2024, establishing a multi-year partnership with Riot Games as their exclusive in-game data partner for League of Legends and VALORANT marked a major milestone for GRID. 

“This collaboration immediately began with the start of the year — we integrated the GRID Data Platform with League of Legends and launched the GRID League of Legends Competitor Portal already in January.”

Daniel Finkler, CEO, BIG: “Our biggest challenge in 2024 was navigating the financial pressures of an esports ecosystem still recovering from global economic slowdowns. Publisher dominance and unpredictable ecosystem shifts demanded constant adaptation.” 

Steve Arhancet, CEO, Team Liquid: “Navigating the esports winter, while growing considerably.  Most folks who are single-esport fans don’t know this, but we are truly a global enterprise, with Alienware Training Facilities and 350 staff on four continents.

“The amount of macro- and micro-management involved in running the business is something we have mastered over the years — but it’s still not as good as Clem at EWC!”

Michael Haenisch, CEO, Freaks 4U Gaming: “Our biggest challenge in 2024 was navigating the delicate balance between sustainability and stability for the company. 

“This included making the very difficult decision to implement layoffs while ensuring operational continuity as we were and are still recovering from the industry’s post-Covid reset and the challenging global macroeconomic conditions.”

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “Overall, brand partnership markets have been very slow and low, with discussions lasting far longer than in the previous years.

“Also, some tough changes from publishers around future investment in esports — sadly Epic’s changes to Rocket League resulted in us pulling out of the scene for now.” 

Faisal Binhomran, Chief Product Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation: “The EWC’s biggest challenge was also our biggest achievement: bringing together the best games and clubs in the world on one platform. 

“With more than 20 individual tournaments to schedule and to deliver on our promise to have the best players in the world participate, we needed to closely align with our publishing partners to create an offering that met the needs of all involved.”

Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming: One of our biggest challenges was navigating the complex regulatory environment surrounding gaming and esports in India. 

“Adapting to evolving policies while ensuring uninterrupted execution of events and initiatives required extensive coordination with stakeholders, strategic foresight and flexibility.”

Marco Mereu, Founder and CEO, M80: “Despite another astounding run through VALORANT Ascension Americas this year, we failed to qualify, losing in the Grand Finals for the second year in a row. It was heartbreaking to come so close to Ascension again, but we still have a lot to show for it…”

“The journey is difficult, but we’ll be back for more in 2025.”

Skyler Johnson, Founder, Paper Crowns: “Ultimately, as the agency grows, the challenge is scaling efficiently without diluting our core values, nor the personalized high-touch service our clients have come to expect. Maintaining the agility of a non-’skyscraper agency’, while managing an increasing amount of larger accounts and complex projects requires deliberate process improvements and strong leadership.

Craig Levine, co-CEO, ESL FACEIT Group: “EFG has been a believer in mobile esports for some time, but the enthusiasm we saw this year across the Snapdragon Pro Series was unprecedented. In particular, the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang community in Southeast Asia came out to support our Season 6 Open Qualifier, which became the most-watched open-level MLBB tournament of all time with 830,000 viewers.”

Daniel Finkler, CEO, BIG: “The mobile esports scene once again stood out in 2024. Its rapid growth in emerging markets continues to highlight the accessibility and scalability of mobile gaming. Titles in this space achieved record-breaking viewership and engagement globally. 

“Additionally, Fortnite remains a cultural phenomenon, seamlessly blending competitive gameplay with live entertainment events that captivate audiences worldwide.”

Animesh ‘8Bit Thug’ Agarwal, Co-Founder, S8UL: “In the Indian esports ecosystem, what stood out in 2024 was the growth into multiple titles beyond BGMI, including Pokémon Unite. S8UL’s own Pokémon Unite team made significant headway, performing exceptionally well on both national and international stages.”

Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming: “The BGMI esports scene has been exceptionally impressive in 2024. Its reintroduction sparked a wave of excitement, bringing together massive audiences, high-profile sponsors and well-organised leagues.” 

Alban Dechelotte, CEO, G2 Esports: “In 2024, we have been lucky to join the VALORANT VCT ecosystem. We love the balance of regional leagues and international events as well as the opportunity to offer in-game content to the G2 Army.”

Skyler Johnson, Founder, Paper Crowns: There are a lot to me that stand out, from the VALORANT ecosystem Riot is creating to the CS community and its stacked event calendar…

“My bias to the Call of Duty community will always be there and I think the game itself offers a solid ranked play, which I hope leads to more competitive esports trickle-down.

Robbie Douek, CEO, BLAST: “I’d be lying if I said I had a favourite ecosystem — each brings its own unique flavour to the industry. That said, I have to give a nod to Riot Games and League of Legends Worlds.

“We joke about it because they always seem to clean up at the awards we are up for, but honestly, there’s a reason for that. Worlds is a masterpiece of an event — it’s the kind of tentpole production that sets the bar for what esports can achieve.”

Hicham Chahine, CEO, Ninjas in Pyjamas: “The shift away from women and marginalised genders in esports, which is sad to see. There are a lot less marginalised gender tournaments for esports teams and players. 

“This has disappointed me the most, it felt like we had such an upward trajectory with investment from several ecosystem stakeholders within the space — but I feel across the industry focus on marginalised genders within the pro-competitive scene has gone down.” 

Nicolas Maurer, Co-Founder and CEO, Team Vitality: “I’d say that overall Rocket League is seeing a downward trend this year. That’s not in terms of public interest or our excitement for the game, but rather the way the professional scene is organised. Obviously, we’re not alone in feeling this way, it seems to be a general public sentiment, which is quite frustrating because Rocket League is a fantastic game with a ton of potential.”

Skyler Johnson, Founder, Paper Crowns: “This one is a bit harder for me because our community is very up and down, so being ‘not impressed’ is something that I don’t really think about as much. I would like to see more publishers and tournament organisers focus on community engagement tools and I know just the agency to help with that!”

Collegiate and amateur esports have been having a moment in North America. Despite the crumbling of the Overwatch League, the restructuring of League of Legends esports into the Americas division and many professional orgs dialling back on rosters — the amateur scene and path-to-pro initiatives have grown.

As the largest amateur esports and competitive gaming network in North America, PlayVS has been busy building a partner ecosystem to service its more than 5,000 participating schools and almost 10,000 teams competing in PlayVS leagues and tournaments every year.

The company is also the official high school esports partner of NFHS Network and the Special Olympics.

While the path-to-pro route isn’t for every amateur, organised esports can help young people develop transferable teamwork and communication skills in fast-paced critical thinking intensive environments, PlayVS CEO Jon Chapman told Esports Insider. “We’ve seen the positive impacts from esports and gaming mirror those from traditional sports in schools, especially for keeping students engaged with their community.”

According to the company’s debut PlayVS Esports Impact Survey: 57% of students said that esports makes them feel like they’re part of a community and 46% said esports has given them more friends and reported feeling more excited to go to school after joining an esports team.
The company is opening up its blackbook to further scale this positive sentiment, launching PlayVS Collective, an esports- and gaming-focused partner marketplace. Aimed at building a thriving community of trusted companies, the PlayVS Collective is a network “focused on meaningfully impacting the next generation with incredible gaming, education and community-building opportunities,” the company said.

The scale of the company’s official scholastic and casual amateur tournament operations has led to major publisher partnerships with Nintendo of America, Activision Blizzard, EA Sports and Epic Games as well as numerous other service and solution providers.

“[The PlayVS Collective’s] whole goal is to help create more participation in the amateur ecosystem because we think that will continue a healthier overall esports and competitive game ecosystem,” said Chapman. “The aim is to have more students decide to participate and enjoy the benefits of teamwork and all the other things that come from being a competitor within the space.”

Chapman took over the role of CEO just last year, and has been hard at work adapting the company’s business model, improving its offerings and bringing in new partnerships like the NFL and Premier League.

By leveraging its growing network and rebuilt trust, this newly launched PlayVS Collective aims to be a resource marketplace — offering curriculum materials from non-profits like NASEF or Stiegler EdTech, equipment and technology from Lenovo, Omnic.AI and others.

Think of it as a one-stop shop for resources and services schools would need to build and maintain an esports programme from partners PlayVS trusts, Chapman said.

He also hopes the Collective can create experiences for students to interact with industry professionals to serve as mentors or offer insights into career paths in the industry, or glean transferable skills from gaming to pursue Science, Technology, Economics and Maths (STEM)  careers.

There are plenty of hurdles to launching and maintaining a scholastic esports programme. From finding qualified coaches, to maintaining a pipeline of incoming participants (the group’s expansion into middle schools aims to help), to overcoming the long-held negative stereotypes associated with gaming. 

“Especially among groups underrepresented in gaming populations, we’ve seen that using gaming in schools as a conduit to want to study STEM subjects and think about a career as a game developer is a really positive change we hope to contribute to,“ Chapman said.

The opportunities provided by the PlayVS Collective are also a move to amplify the group’s inclusion efforts through its leadership’s belief in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement to drive positive societal outcomes.

By removing barriers to entry and opening up its network, PlayVS is aiming for a knock-on effect to encourage girls and young women towards the esports-to-STEM pipeline too. Recent studies have shown that 50% of all gamers are women-identifying, but the professional competitive landscape doesn’t resemble that ratio.

By encouraging girls at a young age that they belong and can succeed in life thanks to structured experience in gaming, this could bring positive change to the competitive pipeline historically and currently dominated by young men. 

The esports industry is built from competition, but Chapman sees more opportunities in reducing business competition and instead working together to ensure that future generations have an esports industry they can participate in. “

Students and schools are the centre of PlayVS’ universe. Finding ways internally and externally to bring our community the best tools, gaming experiences, educational and career advancement opportunities.”

An Atlanta-based non-profit organisation is dedicated to developing a global community of educators who blend play and learning by building a Network of Academic & Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF). Founded seven years ago, NASEF’s emphasis is on its interest-driven learning ethos and skill development beyond just competition from esports and education.

It’s a tall order, but NASEF hopes to extend its programmes internationally, spreading its progress in improving youth STEAM-based skill development through gaming and esports. A step in the right direction is establishing sistent school esports programmes, NASEF Chief Advancement Officer Claire LaBeaux told Esports Insider.

The world of esports itself isn’t as unified as it may appear. Fitting this into school settings in incredibly varied educational systems is one of the organisation’s strengths. Equipping educators in multiple nations and frameworks is its greatest motivator.

There’s new wind in NASEF’s sails, as it has established two US to Japan sister school esports programmes this year. The first connection was built between Risshō Daishōnan High School in Shimane Prefecture and Forsyth Virtual Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, with leaders from both schools visiting the other.

The second was recently launched when a delegation from the Risshukan Junior-Senior Technical High School in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, visited Villa Park High School in southern California. Japanese delegates toured the Villa Park campus, visiting the esports areas and clubs to glean from the US scholastic esports approach to translate back in Japan. NASEF’s recent expansion into Europe suggests its efforts are gaining momentum.

“We do a lot of education around our project-based and immersive learning programmes,” LaBeaux said. It’s a process where students collaborate in an esports club or class as though they were working in a company with varying responsibilities. NASEF also offers a video-based academy on how to be a general manager or coach. “Our approach is to teach students to develop in a club atmosphere and not just a competitive team.”

Esports and gaming still stand on uneven grounds of acceptance, especially in an educational environment, across locales. Programmes must battle being grouped into the misconceptions that all gaming is addicting or detrimental to studies. On the contrary, according to LaBeaux, 100% of parental feedback in research from UC Irvine reported seeing a benefit to their children’s involvement in the programmes.

Part of this may be due to the classroom course curriculum, ranging from a four-year series certified to meet California standards in English Language Arts, several Career & Technical Education courses, and a vast Community Library developed by NASEF Scholastic Fellows. Part of it is due to the positive impacts on students’ Social Emotional health. Part of it may be the years of empirical research on NASEF’s scholastic esports approach performed by UC Irvine’s Connected Learning Lab. The result is a real feeling of being part of a student community.

While esports is the focus area, LaBeaux knows that it’s a niche activity within the larger area of social gaming. In order to involve the most participants, broader casual gaming needs to have a place within NASEF clubs, because “for many students the fact that their school sees gaming as a sanctioned activity, matters to them,” she said.

Not every school has access to the same technology resources, so NASEF’s semesterly international challenges focus on accessibility and cooperative competition to involve as many participants as possible. Over the years NASEF has learned that not every student that enjoys playing games socially is interested in competitive aspects of gaming, but its Worldwide Mario Kart 8 Time Trials Competition or the flagship Farmcraft challenges allow for competition between clubs while avoiding operational hurdles like navigating ping or tournament structures.

For example, Farmcraft educational programmes use Minecraft to enhance youth’s understanding of the agricultural industry and its impact on global food security. More than 60 schools across the globe participated in this year’s challenge, the winner’s circle dominated by Taiwan and Bangladesh. The UN even highlighted Farmcraft as a valuable means for teaching youth about food security and modern agriculture at its recent World Food Forum. 

That isn’t to say that NASEF isn’t involved in titles typically recognised by the esports industry, In partnership with PlayVS, NASEF operates the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Esports Initiative, facilitating scholastic esports competitions across school appropriate titles like League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, NBA2K25 and others.

Many schools start gaming or esports club initiatives independently of one another, piecing together infrastructure from its faculty’s experience and networks. For some, this might be the only way to get it off the ground, but results in its standards, resources and processes being incompatible with other systems in the region. The NASEF framework helps to establish baselines for partners to follow and adapt to, ensuring that each can best benefit from a united network.

Many schools start gaming or esports club initiatives independently of one another, piecing together infrastructure from its faculty’s experience and networks. For some, this might be the only way to get it off the ground, but results in its standards, resources and processes being incompatible with other systems in the region. The NASEF framework helps to establish baselines for partners to follow and adapt to, ensuring that each can best benefit from a united network. 

LaBeaux acknowledged that while esports has been around for a quarter decade, teachers are using esports in the classroom on the cutting-edge. “It’s becoming more mainstream, but it’s still valuable for educators to be connected to each other on the NASEF platform, to build community and bounce ideas off one another of what’s working.” 

As a young and global community, esports has always relied on the network effects of information sharing and adopting best practices. The Scholastic Fellowship programme is one example of this community; with these leaders, NASEF creates its Community Library curriculums, which are freely available on its website

In the especially nascent education and esports integration, there’s a great need for knowledge sharing, not just for scholarly research on the subject, but practical crowd-sourced playbooks to help solve common issues and offer unique cultural perspectives to approaches.

As the end closes in on a busy and very turbulent year, both in esports and beyond, 2024 will certainly leave a mark.

From sadly saying goodbye to some notable industry names, to welcoming in major ecosystem overhauls and celebrating new viewership records, much has happened in 2024.

While it may seem like a distant memory, early in the year, major changes occurred to Activision Blizzard’s esports leagues. The franchised Overwatch League was scrapped and replaced, while the Call of Duty League survived but saw franchise fee payments eliminated, a sign of a major switch-up in the publisher’s esports approach.

Deciding it was time for its own changes, Riot Games announced in March a shakeup to  League of Legends esports’ franchise business model, aiming to reduce its reliance on sponsorships and instead leverage in-game item sales to generate revenue for teams in its leagues.

Esports later received a boost of legitimacy in June after the Olympics’ organising body IOC declared it would launch an official Olympic Esports Games, which could potentially be a boon to national esports bodies and stakeholders.

Then came the unavoidable Esports World Cup and its monumental $60m prize pool, playing out over two months with varying viewership. Speaking of viewership, this year the League of Legends World Championship smashed esports’ all-time viewership record with a peak concurrent viewing figure of almost 7m.

Throughout the year, the competitive landscape also saw major shifts as teams merged and partnerships were formed. Most notably, FaZe Clan changed hands resulting in Complexity also being sold. OverActive Media created a Spanish powerhouse, buying KOI and Movistar Riders and merging it with MAD Lions, while GIANTX also saw the light of day, the result of a merger between EXCEL and Giants.

Amidst it all, esports and sports betting brand GG.BET has seen one of its busiest years yet in esports, and is showing no signs of slowing down. The international brand has profited off the growth in interest in esports, and the sheer amount of activity that went on in 2024 — and has used it as an opportunity to double down.

GG.BET highlighted its achievements this year in an end-of-year recap video summarising the brand’s most impressive creative achievements.

Esports Insider sat down with the company to pick over its year to date and the key milestones it’ll be celebrating for years to come.

Esports Insider: Your key esports team partnerships this year have been with BLAST Premier, NAVI, and Team Vitality. Why did you choose these particular brands to partner with?

GG.BET: “For GG.BET, the main consideration is a similarity between the target audience and the brand’s values, as well as the potential for collaboration. NAVI became one of the brand’s key partners way back in 2017. It’s one of the most successful and recognisable organisations in the world. Our partnership with NAVI has helped us to strengthen brand awareness on an international level and generate fan loyalty all over the world. GG.BET and NAVI also share a heritage; both our brands have Ukrainian roots and are dedicated to developing local esports and popularising them on the world stage.

“Our partnership with Team Vitality, which began in 2022, was a huge step in the right direction in terms of gaining access to the European market. Like NAVI, the French organisation has confidently held a top spot in the world rankings for Counter-Strike 2 teams for a long time. In 2024, like in previous years, our partnership with Team Vitality allowed us to create unique activities, as well as exclusive content and events for fans.

“Our partnership with BLAST Premier in 2024 was a logical continuation of our strategy of collaborating with leading players in esports. Our brands are united by a content-based approach: we aim to bring new ideas to life through high-quality production. As part of our year-long partnership with BLAST Premier, together our organisations have focused on providing an exciting experience, incorporating a capacity for growth and an increase in the global status of esports.”

Esports Insider: Alongside those partnerships, you also held some pretty unique activities. Can you tell me about those?

GG.BET: “2024 was packed with exciting creative activities for GG.BET. One standout event was the CS2 showmatch Match of LeGGends: Double Down, featuring NAVI and Team Vitality. Departing from the usual tournament format, we used game modes like deathmatch and Hostage Rescue, creating a casual competition atmosphere. The showmatch drew over 600,000 viewers across our official channels and became the only showmatch of the year with an S-Tier ranking on Liquipedia.

“The offline action continued with GG.BOOTH branded areas at two major BLAST Premier tournaments. These transformable stands served as photo zones, autograph locations with NAVI and Team Vitality, and creative spaces for fans, drawing thousands of visitors and boosting the GG.BET brand’s viral reach.

“In Ukraine, GG.BET organised Community Watch joint viewing events in Kyiv for NAVI fans, where they could gather, watch the games on a big screen, and cheer for their favorite team. During the second event, fans were also connected live with the tournament in London via a link-up with OVO Arena Wembley, creating a unique experience for the Ukrainian audience.

We also launched GG.Chronicles, a series highlighting the personal stories of top players like Zyw0o, AleksiB, and mezii. This collaboration with BLAST Premier put the spotlight on their individual journeys, receiving widespread media coverage and hundreds of positive fan comments.”

Esports Insider: There seemed to be a particular focus on content-focused activations, teaming up with several esports media sites in 2024. What did you work on together, and what was behind that strategy?

GG.BET: “We actively worked on content in collaboration with leading esports media. One project that comes to mind was a series of educational articles, Behind the Broadcast, created in collaboration with your editorial staff at Esports Insider. We analysed how the esports industry works and gave an account of what goes on behind the scenes, which is often a mystery for the general [consumer] audience.

“Dot Esports helped us create Dota 2 World Records, celebrating major achievements in the scene. Partnering with HLTV, we covered the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 through daily Reels and Shorts, reaching over 5m viewers. With the talented Dom Sacco and his team at Esports News UK, we explored British esports’ history, present, and future. Our first TV partnership with GINX.TV captured the energy of 18,000 fans at the BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2024 in the OVO Arena Wembley, sharing the atmosphere in the audience with 1.4m viewers. Esports.GG supported us in covering BLAST tournaments with live content, quizzes, and giveaways through their BLAST hub. Meanwhile, with Esports Charts we delivered exclusive stats for the PGL Major Copenhagen and BLAST Premier series.

“All of these projects were joint creations, developed to create valuable, engaging content for the esports community. They’ve helped us stay up-to-date with the field and deepen our connection with our audience across the globe.”

Esports Insider: What partnerships have you struck outside of esports?

GG.BET: “In 2024, GG.BET broadened its activity in traditional sports. Brand partnerships in Ukraine with football clubs Dynamo Kyiv and Zorya Luhansk created opportunities for interaction with fans through streams, unique content and press conferences. As a result, GGBET UA attracted a sports audience and significantly expanded its user base.

“GGBET UA also became a sponsor for the streaming of EURO 2024 and the Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury first fight on MEGOGO. This partnership was key in strengthening GG.BET’s position as a brand in the Ukrainian market and attracting a new audience. Over 1.24m viewers in Ukraine witnessed the historic Usyk vs Fury fight. As a result, on the day of the stream, the number of first-time deposits with GGBET UA increased by 471%, which confirms the effectiveness of partnerships of this scale.”

Esports Insider: When it comes to measuring the effectiveness of your esports partnerships, how have they gone? And how do you gauge success?

GG.BET: “We focus primarily on several key parameters: audience reach, engagement, the number of interactions, and user activity growth. Besides quantitative data, qualitative parameters such as community feedback are also important to us. These help us adapt our strategy and increase the effectiveness of our ideas.

“In 2024, thanks to our successful partnerships with industry leaders, GG.BET was able to achieve significant results in terms of global development strategy. The brand has reached an audience of over 4.2bn, 3.8bn of whom were reached thanks to our partnership with BLAST Premier and the effective communication campaign built around this collaboration.

This partnership also allowed us to boost retention significantly; during tournaments, the bounce rate of users was close to zero. Analysis of bets on GG.BET’s platforms during the BLAST Premier Counter-Strike 2 tournaments showed that the daily betting average was 14% higher in comparison with the mid-season figure, and the average total stake was up by 17%. These data confirm that partnerships built on shared values not only increase brand awareness but also influence the company’s business performance effectively.”