The following is an article from the Atlanta Business Chronicle, our sister site.
The coronavirus crisis has silenced the sports world.
Stadiums that would normally be active and busy at this time are sitting dormant. The pandemic has impacted not only traditional sports but also the video game industry.
Especially in Atlanta — where a slate of live events have been canceled, postponed or moved online entirely. The effects on the local industry have been bittersweet for gamers, who thrive with crowds behind them, yet an abundance of new fans is suddenly engaged with their work.
“The energy that comes with the live events is definitely lost, but there are more and more eyes on what they’re doing,” said Andrew Greenberg, executive director of Georgia Game Developers Association.
Live streaming has picked up heavily with more people practicing social distancing. According to The Verge, streaming platform Twitch recently saw a 31 percent increase in viewership while YouTube Gaming has also seen significant growth of about 15 percent on its streams.
“None of us want to see fans getting out of the habit of coming to matches because that energy is really just incredible,” Greenberg said. “But we all want to the live streaming side get stronger and that’s what is happening.”
Traditional sports leagues have noticed this newfound attention to online gaming have reacted accordingly to retain some sort of revenue. NASCAR was forced to postpone Atlanta Motor Speedway’s marquee event last month but, in the meantime, launched iRacing esports events, which included Georgia native Chase Elliott.
Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has also gotten in on the action and is set to compete in a televised, players-only NBA 2K tournament on Friday. While leagues are taking sizeable revenue losses with no games, many are pivoting to a new audience online.
Georgia gaming companies like Hi-Rez Studios and Blue Mammoth Games are also benefiting from the unfortunate circumstances since their products are more in demand than ever. The majority of the revenue these companies make is from the games, rather than live events.
Todd Harris is the CEO of Skillshot Media, a production company based in Alpharetta. He said the challenge for his staff has been trying to produce quality broadcasts from home. But that obstacle, he said, is not nearly as tough as what many other industries are facing right now.
“If you’re gaming company or esports company, it’s a lot easier to navigate this than a local restaurant or hair salon,” said Harris, who serves as chair of the Atlanta Esports Alliance. “Most businesses can’t move their main product online. With gaming and esports, the main product is really already online.”
