Khalid Wani Senior Director – Sales, India, Western Digital explains the need of purpose-built storage for the growing esports community

A kind of competitive online gaming known as esports, which is staged and telecast like traditional sports, has gained enormous popularity in recent years, which has contributed to the explosive growth of the gaming business. Like physical sports, well-known online esports competitions have official leagues and athletes compete in teams for millions of dollars in cash prizes, and lucrative endorsement deals break world records. Gaming and esports are distinct from competitive gaming, which is played for prizes, money, and recognition, and is played for leisure. Esports, on the other hand, are more like playing professionally than gaming is like playing sports with friends.

With an estimated global audience of 600 million people, the esports market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9% during the period 2022-2032. As a result, it is anticipated that 318 million people will be esports fans by 2025, and that 640 million people will watch esports events overall. A more digitally advanced world where gaming has become more accessible is what's driving this growth, both in terms of revenue and viewership. People today have higher disposable incomes which enables them to have access to internet connections that are affordable. The speedy penetration of gadgets including smartphones and tablets, better network coverage, and increase in the number of sponsorship proceeds are acting as a catalyst for the same.The Indian esports market will be defined by 1.5 million players, 85 million spectators, 20+ broadcasters, several brands, organisers, and publishers by 2025. Additionally, according to recent predictions, the esports and gaming sector will be worth $7.2 billion by 2032.

But as the sector expands, so does the demand for more effective and dependable storage options. Given the expansion and the demand for greater storage for streamers to retain their content, data storage — or rather the lack of it — is a persistent problem. This is especially true for the esports world, as competitions, games, and live broadcasts generate a lot of data. The majority of esports competitions involve dozens, often even hundreds, of participants, in-game announcers, many concurrent streams, and many hours of gameplay. 

Esports players today require storage options that can improve their gaming experience and assist them in swiftly and effectively adjusting to the rapidly changing gaming environment. Gamers and esports fans require storage options that provide adequate space for them to save their games and ultra-fast speeds to aid in a fluid gaming experience and quicker loading times.

It is therefore not unexpected that modern portable storage options that are intended to enable the best gaming experience are quickly gaining popularity. Richly detailed games call for exceptional, purpose-built storage options, like those in the WD_BLACK™ portfolio, which were created expressly to fulfil the demands of the gaming industry. The system is enhanced for scalability and excellent performance. The WD_BLACK™ line of products is very helpful for esports communities since live broadcasts and competitions require high-performance storage.

PC gamers and esports professionals actively seek high-end data storage solutions, such as blazingfast solid-state drives (SSDs) to ensure a competitive edge. As the gaming and esports industry continues to grow, so will the need for more efficient data storage which will benefit the esports communities globally and improve the overall gaming experience for players and viewers alike.

To maintain a competitive edge, PC gamers and esports professionals actively look for top-tier data storage options, like lightning-fast solid-state drives (SSDs). The demand for more effective data storage will increase along with the gaming and esports industries, which will benefit esports communities throughout the world and enhance the entire gaming experience for both players and spectators.