The International 2019 Dota 2 ended with $34,298,849 in the championship. This is more than the prize money in many traditional sports.

For the second year in a row, the European OG team won the main trophy of The International and $15,600,000. Winning OG was a sensation for everyone: analysts, commentators and bookmakers, because throughout the season the team showed mediocre results.

Such success stories inspire young players to become professional players, and the sums of prize funds – investors and entrepreneurs to create eSports clubs.

Which disciplines to choose

You should start with the disciplines in which you can sign your first line-up. Disciplines are games in which championships are played. There are many of them, because all developers are trying to create their own eSports in almost all multiplayer games.

Each discipline has its own structure, regulations and policies, even if the games belong to the same publisher. Both games are owned by Valve, but they develop in a completely different way. So before you start looking for players, you should understand the specifics and problems of each eSports discipline.

Computer sports do not develop separately from the game and can not exist independently. It belongs to game developers: they are both creators of the game and the main regulator of the discipline, so this fact should always be considered.

The rules that are set by developers often hinder the development of eSports and make it difficult for various organizations to earn money.

Associations of professional players have almost no influence on the developers and are created only for the tick. Players’ opinions are rarely taken into account, and the developers’ decisions are based on the matches of ordinary players.

To reduce the risks, the game and its eSports direction must be stable at least as much as possible. If there are championships and the confidence that the game will not close in a year, that’s good.

You should never chase new disciplines to sign the most promising lineup. It is worth giving to major clubs that are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to test a new direction.

Main subjects:

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Shooter, five players on the team. The most stable cybersports discipline with a competitive ecosystem: the rights to host the championships are fully transferred to third-party tournament operators. Only two championships per year are sponsored by the game publisher.

The season is not limited to championships only for the best teams of the world, small tournaments with a prize fund of less than $100 thousand were transferred to the teams of Tier 2 – level and below. Championships are held every week, so young teams have many options to prove themselves.

Dota 2

MOBA, five players on the team. The game is in first place by the amount of money played, since the teams received $217,430,656. Clubs for 13-16th place at The International 2019 earned $506,973, which is more than some top teams get for the whole season in CS:GO.

But The International overloads the market and destabilizes it: third-party championships are lightweight for players, everyone thinks within nine months and ten championships a year from TI to TI.

After the final, reshuffles start in almost all teams, which has a negative impact on the clubs. But because of that the cost of maintaining the team is lower: good players can be bought for $5000, and for the best players in the world they are asked up to $120 thousand.

League of Legends

MOBA, five players on the team. It is the most popular game in the world, 8 million people play every day. The developers control all aspects of the game and eSports: they conduct championships, pay salaries to players, and compensate the clubs for moving and the cost of maintaining the training base.

All regions switch to the franchise system of the season, the cost of participation in the league is from $10-13 million. According to the results of the season the best teams from all regions get to the World Cup.

Clubs are dissatisfied with the strict rules for sponsors: bookmaker’s offices, account sales sites and other similar services are prohibited. The game is not popular in the CIS, so it is worth looking in the direction of the European squads.

Active disciplines

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds

Shooter, four players on the team. Cyber sport is divided into nine leagues from different regions with available qualifications through Contenders.

There are inter-regional championships and a world championship among the best teams for the season. Player salaries range from $500 to $2000 per player per month.

Over the past year, well-known clubs have left the discipline: Evil Geniuses, Optic Gaming, Cloud9 and others. All note the low number of views and lack of sponsors, but developers are actively trying to develop their eSports direction.

Fortnite

Shooter, two players on the team. In the season 2018-2019, the developers have allocated $100 million for e-Sports. Professional players earn money even at the qualification stage.

After the only major championship is difficult to assess the prospects of the discipline, but this game – a cultural phenomenon, it is everywhere: in the movie about the “Avengers” and on the football field, players celebrate scoring balls with recognizable dances.

Overwatch

Shooter, six players on the team. There is one Overwatch League available in this discipline, which is actively spread only in the USA. The cost of participation in the league is, according to various rumors, from $ 30 to $ 60 million.

Many professional players have started to leave the game and develop in other disciplines. The same can be said about the spectators – the performance in the second season was much lower than in the first one.

The organization is ready to offer the best conditions in the market, but can not find only five players. The fact is that the players who will meet your requirements are critically low in the market, especially in free access.

If you compare eSports now and two years ago, you will hardly notice a significant difference, as the same people play on the professional stage. All clubs try to take proven players.

Few people want to get in touch with young players, because it’s an extra headache for the club and additional costs to raise players. It’s easier to take a proven but average player than babysitting young players.

If you compare eSports with traditional sports, the career of a young athlete is much more transparent. The player enters a sports academy on the basis of a professional club, there is a stable team and championships, where he hone his skills and gain experience.

The player’s main task is to jump on heads, change teams and do everything to achieve personal goals. The system is designed so that a player not only does not acquire sports qualities, but on the contrary, becomes a selfish and toxic player.

And a professional player should not only play well, but also quickly find common ground with teammates, as well as realize the importance of the team. With these qualities, most eSports have problems so far.

Let’s say that you have signed a free young team, which began to show results, or assembled a team of promising players on their own. Players are trained, motivated and disciplined…