Heading into next year, esports has a promising year ahead. Indeed, the online environment is one the industry has grown to own. Bearing this in mind, we thought we’d approach our Esports Tier List here at esportsguide. With our last update in August and changes in the esports we cover since then, this is a must read for our readers.
So, what is a Tier list? It’s an arbitrary rating system used to divide the objective level of whatever your subjects are under the given heading. In this case, we’ll be evaluating esports scenes. Accordingly, what factors are there to consider the tier rating of an esport? To summarize, here’s a short list of criteria I’m considering in this regard:
- Event Proportions – Size of prize pools, number of participants, third and first party organizers, environment and arena capacities
- Event frequency – is the year bursting with competition or solely reliant on infrequent first-party organizers
- Competitiveness – the level of competition in an esports scene is related to its livelihood
- State of the community – health of the lower tier sectors and general condition of the esport as a dynamic entity
There are definitely more things to consider; just wanted to open your eyes as to what our priority is. We’ll also offer any insights and comments where relevant. We’re trying to be objective here. Bearing this in mind, let’s start with Tier 1!
For the most part I’ll focus comments and the more debatable submissions to keep it interesting.
Tier 1 – Top of the Esports Tier List
I’d kick off by saying that both CS:GO and LoL have done phenomenally to adapt to the online environment. Their events continue to pack the heat, large prize pools and great viewership all round.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for DOTA 2 who is currently still recovering from the loss of The International from this year. This threw the Dota Pro Circuit into a panic for quite some. Right now, everything looks to be back on track with a new plan for next year.
Meanwhile, R6 remains our up-and-coming Tier 1 esport, especially thanks top newly established world league. A newly announced World Cup is massive too!
Tier 2 – Middle of the Pack
The middle of the pack has the most submissions, with a few changes from last time.
Firstly, I’ve decided to introduce PUBG and PUBG Mobile from Tier 3 as both have really stepped things up this year. Notably PUBG Mobile with its Global Championship and PUBG with its continental series. We look forward to the future!
On a more negative note, I wasn’t too willing to keep Overwatch here. Its third season offered abysmal statistics in viewership compared to last year, and lower compared to Call of Duty. Albeit franchised, I’ll be giving the esport one last chance this year.
The other point of contention is Fortnite. With the rise of Call of Duty: Warzone, the battle royale dipped in popularity. Also, the Fortnite World Cup being cancelled hurt the competitive community heavily. However, esports events are still being held, and just like Overwatch, there’s chance to improve.
Tier 3 – Still Rising
- VALORANT
- Garena Free Fire
- Kings of Glory/Arena of Valor
- FIFA
- StarCraft
How can we not talk about how excited we are for VALORANT? The prospective esport has exceeded all expectations for this year and is looking skywards for 2021. We’re hoping it’ll fulfill its potential and reach Tier 2 by the end of next year.
On the other hand, our newest featured esport of Garena Free Fire is also quite exciting. Can the new competitor chase down PUBG Mobile for the crown of best mobile esports title?
We really hope you enjoyed this discussion. Yes, everything is subjective though we hope it’s given you, our readers, some insight into the industry.
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