Games such as Counter-Strike, StarCraft and Street Fighter were successful in the 90s and 2000. The popularity of these titles in the lan houses was a crucial element to the success of esports industry. Since then, the competitive landscape has grown and distributed millions of dollars in prizes. Let’s have a look at the games that have enjoyed exceptional popularity in the early days of eSports and are still popular among the community.
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike, is one of the most popular FPS franchises in history of professional gaming. Its tournaments began in 2000 with the first CS and survive to this day with the Global Offensive version. According to the website Esports Earnings, CS: GO is the second game to have distributed most prizes in the history of eSports.
The professional calendar of the CS: GO is formed of several championships, organized by companies like: DreamHack, ESL, RFRSH, EPICENTER and StarLadder. Meanwhile, the Majors are the most important events of the year since they distribute upto $ 1 million in prizes.
Street Fighter
Ryu, Chun-li, Ken, Blanka and other characters from the Street Fighter franchise have been popular in the gaming community since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Over the years, Street Fighter tournaments have gained a prominent structure, dedicated audience and decent prizes. The title has become a global phenomena with athletes from various regions of the planet competing for supremacy. Street Fighter V is the latest edition of the franchise.
StarCraft
StarCraft was one of the veteran franchises responsible for the growth of esports in the 2000s. Its first version was launched in 1998 for PC and since then, several professional championships have attracted athletes, investments and audience. According to the site Esports Earnings, the current edition of the game, Starcraft 2 , is the fourth game that has distributed most prizes in the history of the championships.
The competition is dominated by South Korea, since the country that has won the most championships. The World Championship Series: Global Finals is the most prestigious event of the season. Since it brings together the best players of the scene.
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat, the iconic fighting game developed by the Netherealm, also follows plays an important role in the esports. The franchise was launched in 1992 and quickly became a phenomenon, thanks to its ” fatalities ” and charismatic characters such as Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Liu Kang. Currently, the game features championships of Mortal Kombat 11.
Summit of Time, the first major event of MK11, was played recently in mid-May 2019 and was won by Dominique “SonicFox” McLean. The American is considered the best player of fighting games. He has won several titles throughout his career and received the award for Best Esports Player in 2018. If you don’t believe us, then just open google and search, “Best Esports Player in 2018” and his name will pop up.
