Esports isn’t dead, but new games need to be “memorable” like League of Legends

There's a rumor out there that esports is dying. It was just another COVID-19 phase, some say, while others compare it to the NFT rush and the scramble for the metaverse, two trends that, while still popular, don't carry the weight that they once did. But esports isn't dying - in fact, it's very much alive. In 2024 League of Legends Worlds pulled in almost 7 million viewers, up on 2023 where that total sat around 6.4 million. Year upon year Worlds has slowly snowballed in popularity, so I asked Team Liquid's co-CEO Steve Arhancet and VP of esports John Lewis about their views on the current esports market, and how new games can break into it.