Misfits Gaming: Could the Local Esports Company Ever Be at the Level of NFL, NBA or MLB Franchises?
By Space Coast Daily // March 28, 2022
With esports on the rise around the world, many are beginning to ask whether we will see a mainstream appeal for these games similar to what we see from major sports franchises like the NFL and NBA. Leading the charge, more often than not, are local esports teams like Misfits Gaming of Florida. How are their games affecting the growth of esports?
The Explosion of Esports
Esports is not a new concept. For practically the same length of time that we have had video games, we have also had competitive gaming right along with it. However, it is in the past few years that we have seen a real explosion of interest in the genre. Gone are the days of crowding into a café or some other small room for an LAN competition. The higher echelons of esports competitions take place in massive purpose-built arenas.
They can command audiences in the millions too. Though thousands can pack into the arenas to watch the play in front of them, even more tune in online to catch a slice of the action. The 2021 League of Legends World Championships had a peak viewership of 4.01m, excluding Chinese viewership. It is the game’s most-viewed tournament to date and shows just how popular the games can be. This is comparable to many mainstream sports, like the NFL or the NBA. It might not quite be at the level of the finals just yet, but more and more people are tuning in to watch these games.
The Role of Companies Like Misfits Gaming
At the heart of esports, you will always find the players and the teams behind them. This is true whether it is one of the big and well-known franchises like the Faze Clan or Team Liquid, or if it is the smaller companies like Florida’s Misfits Gaming. The games that they are tuning in to play are ones that everyone can enjoy. They might be very different in mechanics compared to the robot games or puzzles that casual gamers can enjoy, but they are games open to everyone. With this, there is one important factor you will find in esports – anyone can play.
The games of choice for Misfits Gaming are League of Legends, Fortnite, Overwatch, and Call of Duty – popular games throughout the world of esports as a whole. Within this, they have also managed to climb to the highest levels of competition within some of these games. In doing so, they have the chance to build an audience and bring new players and fans to the world of sports.
A Sector That Keeps on Growing
Esports is only predicted to get bigger and better. It is slowly becoming more mainstream but has yet to properly break through. With major investments coming from all quarters and coverage from leading news outlets, it is only a matter of time before it does. The role of companies like Misfits Gaming will then become even clearer as they will be the access point that many find their way to esports through.
In the future, it is not too difficult to imagine that we might see people supporting their local esports teams in the same way that they do now with the NBA or MLB. Don’t think that this is an area that is going to go nowhere, it is only going to get bigger and even better as the years go by, with some even thinking it will herald an age of digital sports.
Esports as a genre is at a really interesting position at the moment. Anyone who wants to know more about what is on offer should think about looking at what companies like Misfits Gaming are up to just now. This could help them to understand more about the sport at this key moment in time, allowing them to be a participant when it eventually makes the full breakthrough into mainstream society.
