eSports are extremely popular in Australia. Even though the Land Down Under is fairly distant from the main competitive scenes in Europe,North America, it has been able to spawn its very own ecosystem. One that is well and thriving today. Australia is leading the way in eSports regulation. Organizations such as ESIC, or the eSports Integrity Commission, are fighting to clean up eSports from match-fixing. There are habitual eSports events in some of the biggest video games and they all feature decent prize pools. Today, we take a look at the most popular eSports games in Australia.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS:GO is clearly the most popular in Australia. As a true competitive title, CS:GO is almost unmatched in terms of interest from audiences. It also has the highest average size of the prize pools offered locally. There are numerous players and teams that represent Australia in global CS:GO events making it one of the most significant titles.
In fact, CS:GO is one of the biggest eSports games when it comes to eSports betting. Even police authorities are stepping in to monitor the betting space for CS:GO in Australia. The high level of interest generates incredibly large wagers. Presently, the game has several distinct teams from Australia, including:
- Renegades
- Kings
- Greyhound
- Chiefs
- Legacy
Valorant
Valorant is one of the newest games out there and it has developed as a competitive title on its own. Players are welcome to experience a fantastic title that will provide them with numerous opportunities to prove their mettle. Valorant is also in line with a global trend in video gaming where games are not purposefully pushed to be experienced as eSports. They are left to their own devices with still the solid backing of developers.
Riot Games, the developers of Valorant, said that they would not be interfering directly with the growth of the game as a competitive title, but they also hosted numerous tournaments. Valorant’s similarities to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive make it precisely one of the reasons why it appeals to Australian gamers. At the same time, the game has features that make it distinct, which is why Valorant is a success all on its own.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is a staple competitive game that is particularly popular in Australia. TI8 has been a particularly successful event that highlighted the talent of local players. Even if they weren’t able to take home the ultimate trophy, there was some incredibly competitive play.
Dota 2 in itself is a staple competitive eSports title. Australia is a big part of why the game is trending. In fact, local players were active Dota players even before the game became a standalone eSport.
In the early days, Dota was just a map modification for Warcraft III. Even then players were quite passionate about it. There have been a few logistical challenges to overcome, for sure. Australia’s geographical location made it a little harder to play against others over the Internet because of latency and ping issues. However, most of these issues are now being settled.
League of Legends (LoL)
It’s safe to say that League of Legends is one of the two main pillars of eSports gaming in Australia. League of Legends is another Riot Games’ product that has proven quite spectacular in every sense of the word. Players are usually more interested in exploring League of Legends than they are playing Dota 2. LoL simply has more welcoming gameplay.
In fairness, Dota 2 has made a lot of efforts to make its product more appealing to players and to make sure that the learning curve isn’t as steep as it used to. League of Legends, though, is thriving in Australia as it provides players with all sorts of opportunities.
League of Legends even has its own franchised league in Australia. It is an example of how far the game has gone from its initial stages.
Today, League of Legends has massive audiences who are more than happy to be a part of the competitive community and watch the game by the millions. There are hundreds of millions of League of Legends fans around the world today, and that is surely the case in Australia.
Conclusion
The Australian eSports scene may not receive the same headlines as South Korea or China, but it is certainly a thriving market. The combination of a wealthy country and a thriving gamer scene has been a huge boon. The Industry will only continue to grow as eSports becomes more mainstream.