"We want to take advantage of the fact that all eyes are on esports right now"

Amid the uncertainty that the coronavirus pandemic has created all over the world, esports has been one constant source of entertainment to everyone practicing social distancing. 

Many large esports tournaments were postponed, some even canceled, but the industry adapted. The League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and other major titles have quickly transformed their tournament structures, moving them to completely online tournaments for people to watch while stuck inside during the lockdown. Serge Vardanyan, founder and CEO of WIN, discussed the new landscape for the esports industry in an exclusive interview with Yogonet.

Could you share your first concepts and insights regarding the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the esports industry globally and your company in particular? What effects, learnings or trends have you identified so far in that sense? Have you seen a significant surge in your business areas?

People are watching esports in record numbers. Twitch surpassed over 3 billion hours watched for the first time, thanks to streamers putting in extra hours and organizations creating online tournaments to be broadcast live. This includes Winners League, which is an entirely online tournament we host that’s unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic. Winners League Season 4 kicks off May 18 and it will be bigger and better than ever before, including pre-match and live odds, live data, and curated results provided by Bayes esports Solutions. 

Our online esports news platform, win.gg, is also seeing a lot of traffic. We’ve seen increases in traffic as more and more people are turning to esports for entertainment. That means not only watching the games, but also wanting to find out more about the teams, the players, and the storylines that occur off the stage. To make this an even better experience for our readers, we launched the win.gg app, allowing them to access news and recaps easier than ever before. They can even save their favorite games, teams and players. 

What special measures or strategies is WIN taking as a company to protect, help or support employees, partners, customers, players, etc.? 

The WIN staff is already remote. The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t changed our company’s structure since we are all already used to communicating and organizing our work online. The only difference is that we check in with each other a bit more at the end of our meetings. Since we’re a global team, we want to ensure that every one of our staff members is feeling safe and supported during this time. 

As more people tune into esports, esports betting is also thriving. The world outside may be uncertain, but most esports fans know which team they want to bet on, allowing them to score big and have some fun while stuck at home. Winners.bet launched in March and we’ve been operating and supporting it just as efficiently as we would be under normal circumstances while showing a lot of concern for responsible gaming.

What are the main demands or concerns you've been receiving from your customers/partners since the outbreak?

People are just looking for reliability and assurance during the crisis, and we’re happy to provide both. The esports industry overall has proven incredibly resilient during this time, and we are at the forefront. We want our partners to know that if they’re seeking safe haven for business during this tumultuous time, we are here for them.

What's your approach to this global crisis, in order to leverage the shift to online business and betting alternatives? What resources are you drawing on?

Luckily, esports and esports betting primarily take place online. Many organizations have shifted towards online tournaments, streamers are seeing big boosts in numbers, and we are confident that people will still be betting on these matches. In fact, even more so now that they are stuck inside for the time being. It’s actually a way to make these esports matches even more exciting. 

We want to take advantage of the fact that all eyes are on esports right now. We launched our esports betting website, Winners.bet, and have been using our connections and PR department to get the word out, as well as our expanded social team. We are also planning to launch an esports betting app to make it even easier for people to get involved with our product. That is still in the works, but it’s another avenue we are exploring to ensure that we are making betting on esports as convenient and fun as possible during a time where people are experiencing a lot of frustration. For many of these people, esports is an escape. Maybe they just discovered some new Twitch streamers or started tuning into CSGO tournaments. These are people looking for new sources of entertainment, and responsible betting only enhances that excitement. 

How would you assess the existing resources, approach, and measures taken by regulators, governments or other state institutions in the jurisdictions where you have operations (including states inside the US)?

Comparing regulatory bodies is always complicated. What we can say is that we are working hard to bring our betting product to fans and players around the world. We know this is a global audience that wants to be better served, and our objective is to meet their demand.

What are in your opinion the possible scenarios this could bring for the esports, online gaming sectors, and your company in particular, in the mid-long term?

No one can predict exactly how this crisis will continue to evolve, nor how it will ultimately resolve, though we are very confident that things will get back to normal in time. What we can say is that our company has not for one moment faltered. We have remained dedicated to our products, to continuing development, and to serving our audience to the very best of our ability. Just as the esports industry as a whole has proven resilient, so too have we as a company, and we’re looking forward to working with our partners and serving our users for a very long time to come.