Bogdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET, talks about esports’ shift away from hype-driven growth toward sustainable business models, which titles and tournaments continue to lead the industry, what needs to change to bring more young players into the sport, how esports can better position itself with betting operators, and where the company is headed next.

In a broad sense, how would you assess the current standing of the global esports landscape?

I think the global esports landscape is in a much healthier and more mature position than it was a few years ago. The era of expecting endless investment, ‘free money,’ and unrealistic growth has largely passed, and organisations are becoming more pragmatic, focusing on sustainable business models rather than chasing growth at any cost.

To my mind, one of the clearest signs of this maturity is the ecosystem around major tournament organisers. 

The biggest TOs now have a much better understanding of the industry’s economics and are securing long-term partnerships with both endemic and, increasingly, non-endemic sponsors. 

That diversification is an important indicator that esports is becoming a more established entertainment product.

The same shift is happening among esports teams. Leading clubs are making decisions based on long-term financial planning and a clear market position rather than intuition or aggressive spending. 

Today, you can clearly identify different business models: top-tier clubs competing for championships, clubs focused on developing and selling talent, fan-centric organisations built around brand value, and regional projects serving local audiences. There are many variations, but these have become the dominant approaches.

In my view, the industry still faces structural challenges. Relationships with game publishers remain one of the biggest variables, since publishers ultimately control the ecosystems. 

In addition, player salaries remain inflated in some regions and positions, while certain investors continue to distort the market by spending beyond sustainable levels. Similar situations exist in traditional sports, but because esports is still a smaller industry, the impact is felt much more strongly.

Finally, it’s important to recognise that Southeast Asia, India, China, and other parts of Asia, particularly mobile esports, has become a market of its own. 

It combines massive player bases, large viewership, strong publisher support, and significant investment from smartphone manufacturers, chipset companies, and other technology brands that directly benefit from mobile gaming’s growth. 

Although it increasingly overlaps with global clubs and tournament operators, it operates in many respects as a distinct ecosystem alongside the more established PC esports market.

Overall, I’d describe the industry today as more realistic, more disciplined, and significantly more sustainable than during the investment boom, even though some structural issues remain to be addressed.

What are currently the most popular titles and tournaments, and what needs to be done for those competing to catch up?

I don’t think there’s much here that would surprise people when it comes to today’s biggest titles; the established ecosystems continue to dominate both in viewership and commercial value.

League of Legends remains one of the strongest esports globally, driven by a well-established year-round competitive ecosystem that spans major regional leagues and international events, culminating in the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), and above all,  World Championship, which consistently delivers record-breaking audiences and sets the benchmark for premium esports events.

Counter-Strike continues to be one of the industry’s flagship titles. The calendar is largely defined by tournaments from ESL and BLAST, which have built highly recognisable brands, strong production standards, and long-term relationships with teams and commercial partners.

Dota 2 remains one of the world’s leading esports titles, supported by a large number of Tier-1 tournaments. However, its Tier-2 scene is virtually nonexistent, which represents a major structural weakness for the discipline and puts it significantly behind its competitors in terms of talent development and long-term ecosystem sustainability.

VALORANT has established itself as one of the fastest-growing Tier-1 esports. Riot’s regional leagues, international Masters events, and the Champions tournament have created a structured ecosystem with consistent storylines and strong audience engagement throughout the season.

Looking at Asia separately, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) deserves special recognition. It attracts an enormous player base and viewership, although comparing audience numbers with PC esports can be difficult due to differences in measurement methodologies across Asian platforms. Even so, there’s no doubt in my mind that MLBB is one of the largest esports ecosystems in the world.

As for organisers trying to close the gap with market leaders such as PGL and StarLadder, I’d say the priorities are fairly clear. First and foremost is production quality, since today’s audience expects a premium viewing experience. 

Competitive prize pools remain important for attracting the best teams. Strong partnership programs with organisations also help create long-term stability, while maintaining a consistent tournament calendar is essential for building audience loyalty and commercial value over time.

What do you believe needs to happen in order to push the esports sector into the next level?

To my mind, to achieve this, the young generation should be given more opportunities to express themselves and take part in esports tournaments. 

If we look at football as an example, its main advantage is that it’s simple and accessible to absolutely everyone from a very young age, from street pitches and school sections to tournaments for different age groups. 

One way or another, a person becomes involved in football from childhood, and even if they later stop playing or training actively, they remain part of the potential audience for anything connected to football.

Esports is largely missing this kind of pathway. There are excellent examples elsewhere: in the Philippines, Valorant has been incorporated into the grade 10 school curriculum as a teaching tool. 

Students learn strategic thinking, teamwork, communication, time management, and fair play by analysing game mechanics and team roles rather than simply playing the game. 

The program also introduces them to esports event organisation, helping develop practical skills that extend well beyond gaming and highlighting esports as a platform for education and career development. 

Another great example is in Denmark, where esports can be taken as a subject in school; more than 100 boarding schools offer it, and it’s also available at the high school level. MOUZ’s CS coach, Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen, was himself a CS teacher at one of these Danish schools.

Importantly, in my view, these classes don’t focus solely on the mechanical side of the game. They also build skills like problem-solving, communication, and collaboration, the kind of broader thinking and teamwork skills that modern education increasingly emphasises. 

That’s an important angle for positioning esports to children and their parents: if traditional sports are framed around physical development, esports should be framed around mental development, speed of thinking, information processing, and decision-making quality. In short, improving a child’s cognitive functions.

On top of that, we need school tournaments, student leagues, and business leagues, along with the development of regional semi-pro and Tier-3 leagues that bring in more sponsors from local markets. 

That, to my mind, would give esports far more platforms to constantly engage completely different age groups and segments of the population.

How can esports as a whole unite to convince operators of both a greater uptake and also of prime positioning within their businesses?

I don’t think the industry should try to convince operators through promises or talk of future potential, as that approach has been used for years, and operators have become far more results-driven. Instead, I believe esports needs to demonstrate that it’s already a mature, commercially viable product.

The strongest argument isn’t a presentation, it’s performance. Operators want to see sustainable betting turnover, healthy margins, strong customer engagement, and reliable event schedules. 

When esports consistently delivers on those metrics, it naturally earns greater prominence within a sportsbook rather than having to ask for it.

I think it’s time for the industry to move beyond the ‘esports is the future’ narrative. In many respects, that future has already arrived. 

Esports is already a major global entertainment product with millions of viewers, established competitive ecosystems, and professional organisations. 

The conversation should shift from discussing what esports might become tomorrow to recognising the value it already delivers today: year-round content, access to younger audiences, global reach, and continuous engagement beyond traditional sporting calendars. These are tangible advantages that operators can measure today.

At the same time, in my view, greater collaboration across the ecosystem would help. Publishers, tournament organizers, data providers, integrity bodies, and betting suppliers all benefit from presenting esports as a unified, professional industry. 

Consistent standards around data quality, integrity, scheduling, and commercial partnerships make it easier for operators to trust the product and invest in it with confidence.

Ultimately, I believe the goal shouldn’t be to ask operators for greater visibility. It should be to build an ecosystem that makes that decision obvious, because the commercial value is already there. 

When esports consistently proves its worth through data, profitability, and audience engagement, prime positioning becomes a business decision rather than a favour.

When it comes to DATA.BET specifically, what do you have planned to deepen your influence within the esports ecosystem?

Honestly, we have a wide range of plans. However, I won’t go into specifics just yet, but I can say that everything we’re building comes back to the same core principles: reliable data, product quality, and depth of coverage. 

To my mind, that kind of consistency is what actually earns influence over time, rather than any single announcement. So for now, I’d just say: stay tuned.