Part of the video games industry’s rapid expansion is the growth of the esports sector.
According to research from SNS Insider, the global esports market was valued at $2 billion in 2023 and is set for explosive growth, reaching $13.7 billion by 2032. Part of the rapid market growth is the surge in viewership, diversified revenue streams, and advancements in streaming technologies and innovative fan engagement tools that enhance the viewer experience.
One of the most prominent factors impacting fan engagement in the esports sector is web presence. Today, different esports entities and organizations rely on engaging and attractive web design and development to establish their web presence and better reach esports fans and audiences. If you’re working on honing your web design skills and expanding your portfolio, it can help to learn from the best esports sites in the industry.
Below, we’ll look at the importance of web design in esports and how the best esports sites make use of design elements to reach their target audiences:
The importance of web design in esports
As mentioned in our introduction, an entity’s web presence is a key factor in boosting fan engagement in the esports market. After all, much of the fan interaction in esports takes place on the Internet, from watching and streaming esports tournaments to playing esports games, as well as following esports organizations on social media platforms for their content. As such, good web design can go a long way in boosting web presence and subsequent fan engagement for different esports entities.
Additionally, investing in web presence is essentially good business for esports entities. In our previous “Why Good Design is Good Business” post, we cited research from Adobe claiming that companies with a strong design outperform those with a weak design by 219% on the S&P Index over 10 years. Mainly, we highlighted that people form opinions quickly in the digital age. For example, it takes only ten seconds for a website’s visitor to form a first impression of a brand’s logo. At the same time, good web design also helps online visitors efficiently figure out where to go and look for what they need, whether it’s esports-related information, updates, or other interactions.
A recent piece from Digiday on prominent Valorant esports org Sentinels encapsulates the significance of web presence for esports brands and organizations. In an interview with Sentinels CEO Rob Moore, Digiday highlights how Sentinels’ web and social following numbers being in the millions helps set the organization up for a bigger revenue share from Valorant’s esports ecosystem. Sentinels’ well-established web presence helps the org stay connected with fans of the Valorant team and players, and the organization is set to join the rare few profitable esports organizations that are not in the red.
Now that we’ve established the importance of web design and subsequent web presence for esports brands and organizations, we’ll take a look at some key examples below:
Esports news sites
Part of the rapid expansion of the esports sector is the growth of the niche’s journalism. Nowadays, esports journalism varies in terms of medium, with some journalists sticking to video content on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, while others write long-form content on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Beyond esports journalists operating solely on social media platforms is the collection of esports news sites and blogs that cover industry news, updates, and insights.
One such example is Esports Insider, which covers various esports and gaming topics such as hardware and gear, title releases, and esports tournaments and events. Esports Insider’s website relies on a straightforward design, using the conventional black-on-white text instead of the modern dark mode approach. The site uses the brand’s purple logo as an accent color for features like buttons throughout the site and a simple directory showing readers where they can go for event-specific news and updates, as well as other gaming and esports-related topics like regulations, gambling, and education. Avid esports fans also turn to the site for more niche esports news, like the site’s recent reporting on esports tournament organizer BLAST partnership with gaming web browser Opera GX for the BLAST Premier World Final 2024. The Counter-Strike 2 esports event is set to be held in the Resorts World Convention Center, Singapore, and is the last Counter-Strike 2 event in BLAST’s 2024 calendar.
Esports betting sites
Above, we mentioned esports gambling and betting as topics covered by esports news sites like Esports Insider. Today, esports betting is a rapidly growing sector where fans can actively place bets on their favorite esports teams or players to earn additional income. Even for esports fans who attend tournaments in person, much of esports betting takes place on online sites or apps. As such, web design is crucial for improving the esports betting experience.
Since esports betting is relatively new compared to traditional sports betting, it’s important for websites to be clear and easy to navigate, especially for newcomers. Esports betting platform Thunderpick does this best through its straightforward interface instead of bombarding visitors with a slew of numbers and betting odds. On the betting site’s homepage, users can see easily recognizable video game characters from titles like DoTA2, Valorant, and League of Legends to signify where they can place bets on esports matchups. Aside from esports, Thunderpick also offers traditional sports betting, accompanied by illustrations of basketball, football, baseball, and soccer athletes, as well as images of cards and slots for the site’s casino betting section. The site also offers various bonuses, like a 100% welcome deposit bonus for newcomers, which is promoted using an image of recognizable esports characters running after a trophy with the Thunderpick logo. Further scrolling down the site also shows trending articles and guides to ensure esports bettors are updated with the latest updates in each esports game.
Esports organization pages
Finally, another common and much-needed form of website in the esports sector is esports organization pages. These are official sites of esports organizations that showcase their rosters, merchandise shops, and accolades, if available. For the most part, these sites are used as a front for fans to find merchandise for their favorite esports teams and players, including jerseys, jackets, gaming peripherals, and other accessories.
According to Nerd Street‘s list of the top esports organizations in 2023, an organization’s web design isn’t always correlated to its success. FaZe Clan, which tops Nerd Street’s list, has an overly simplistic web design approach that looks like a glitchy webpage. Aside from images, icons, or buttons, the FaZe website is almost entirely text-only, which can disadvantage fans looking for a more visual experience. In comparison, Team Liquid has a straightforward web design interface showing off the latest updates and partnerships the organization offers through a rotating banner. There is also a simple directory showing fans where to go to see the organization’s various esports title rosters, as well as a fandom engagement section highlighting upcoming Liquid matches and events and a leaderboard where Team Liquid fans can compete with each other to become the org’s top Super Fans by staying updated and involved with all things Team Liquid.
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