The last few weeks in the world of sport have been incredibly exciting. We’ve had the climax of the World Series, where the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros to claim their first title in 16 years. Interestingly, they are 10-1 to retain the World Series, with the LA Dodgers having much shorter odds at 5-1 to win in 2024.
There has also been great action in the NFL, such as the Green Bay Packers beating the Seattle Seahawks 17-0. The Packers take on the Minnesota Vikings in their next game this weekend, where some bookmakers have them as a 2.5-point favourite.
The world of online sports betting has never been more popular than it is right now. Every minute, thousands of people across the world will be looking for odds on their favourite sports, and placing bets on the outcome of these games/matches. Some bettors will use Bookmakersreview.com to find the best sportsbooks available on the internet, the ones that offer the most interesting markets and the most competitive odds.
It is not just regular sports where betting is popular, as the rise of Esports also sees fans and bettors looking for odds on their favourite Esports team, hoping that they’ll win the latest Esports tournament. More and more sportsbooks are beginning to offer odds on Esports, as they are all beginning to realise what big business it is becoming.
Fortnite is one of the most popular Esports for both players and bettors. The 2019 Fornite World Cup Finals has an absolutely massive prize pool, of up to $15 million dollars. To think that only a few years ago people were derided for playing too many computer games, claiming they were a waste of time. Now, the tables have been turned, as the harder you practice and the more you play, the better your chances of winning at an Esports tournament are. Given how much is at stake, it is no surprise that bettors at home are placing bets on these tournaments, as they are just as competitive as any regular sport.
Of course, the world of Esports is constantly changing, as not only new tournaments crop up, but new games as well. The likelihood of a game coming along as popular as Fortnite is rare, given how its premise and simplicity makes it so attractive to gamers. However, given how much money is spent on developing video games, something is bound to come along one day that is just as well-liked.
With 2024 just around the corner, let’s take a look at some of the big releases, which will surely have Esports tournaments attached to them very quickly.
FPS fans have much to look forward to
One of the most popular genres of Esport tournaments are the first person shooters, or FPS. Down the years, games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare have made this type of game incredibly well played with gamers. Another very popular FPS title is Tom Clany’s Rainbow Six. The first title in this series came out in 1998, and since then there have been almost 20 separate titles.
The newest one, Rainbow Six:Extraction, is due to be released in January. It has already been delayed twice, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once it is released, we expect there to be plenty of Esports tournaments dedicated to this game, which fans can stream at home, all the while looking for odds on their favourite clans to win.
Another FPS game that is hotly anticipated is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, which is due for release in April. It is the latest in the populer S.T.A.L.K.E.R series, which have spourn many Esports leagues and tournaments already. This latest title will be no different, and we expect millions of gamers to play this game, on both the latest consoles and on their gaming PCs.
Will Homeworld 3 be a big Esports hit?
The first Homeworld game was heralded as a huge step forward in the real-time strategy video game genre when it was released back in 1999 on PC. It’s sequel, Homeworld 2, was remastered after its initial release, and became a popular online multiplayer game across a range of platforms.
Now, later this year we finally have Homeworld 3 to look forward to. Several short clips have already been released, so fans have an idea of what to expect. In the last 2 years, there have been multiple Esports Tournaments for the Homeworld games, which have seen players fight it out in 1v1 situations. Will Homeworld 3 be equally as popular, both with players and people betting at home? We have a few months still until the release, but we predict that Homeworld 3 will be just as popular as its predecessors.
FIFA 23 to have improved Esports tournament capabilities
One title that has been incredibly popular with gamers for well over 2 decades now is the FIFA soccer games. Since the first one was released in the early 1990s, they have grown more sophisticated and enjoyable, selling hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.
It is no surprise then to see Esports tournaments related to the game, with the FIFA 21 Challenge one of the most viewed Esports events ever held, with over 250,000 people tuning in. Given that each game tends to sell more than its predecessor, when FIFA 23 is released in October 2024, we expect huge Esports tournaments to begin cropping up almost instantly, as players look to face off against other competitors across the globe.
To prove even further how seriously Esports tournaments are taken nowadays, professional soccer teams such as Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund now have their own Esports teams, where players represent the clubs in the big tournaments. So when FIFA 23 is finally available on consoles and PC, we expect these teams to look to win as many Esports tournaments as possible, with hundreds of thousands of people watching on at home.
