Unibet Filip Kristersson Talks Rise of Esports with Abios

In a conversation with Abios, Unibet esports product manager Filip Kristersson outlined the most popular esports today and the rise of eSoccer during the pandemic. 

Unibet’s Success in Esports Is a Matter of Adaptability

Speaking to Abios, an esports API and data company, Unibet esports product manager Filip Kristersson offered some interesting insight into the world of competitive video gaming, and specifically the ongoing betting markets. 

Kristersson discussed how Unibet adapted its offer to accommodate esports consumers and what his personal predictions about the industry are. Commenting on esports and betting, Kristersson explained that the segment would continue to grow and become increasingly important to sportsbooks. 

Within three years, Kristersson predicts esports to be one of the most important verticals for operators, leading to new innovative aspects of the experience, whether those are brand-new betting formats, widgets, or something different. He further touched on sports simulators:

“The rise of eSoccer as a filler product paints an intriguing picture. Do we see the beginning of a new paradigm? I foresee interesting times ahead.”

Unibet esports product manager Filip Kristersson

Kristersson continued by providing data that many stakeholders find particularly interesting and explained that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Dota 2 remained the most significant drivers of interests among consumers. 

The Global Growth of Esports and eSoccer 

He didn’t rule out the possibility of new titles making the cut as popular choices for players. There has been a significant increase in eSoccer activity, Kristersson argued, with more games of interest such as Call of Duty, Rainbow 6, and Valorant also growing at a good pace. 

However, Kristersson cautioned that it was still too early to make predictions about those games. One personal preference he has, though, is to see the battle royale genre more involved. 

He has a point. There certainly is the groundwork for that, with Garena’s Free Fire numbers eclipsing those of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds in North America. Furthermore, PUBG Mobile clocked in $240 million in revenue for March, and PUBG Corp. revealed a renewed season. Not least, Call of Duty fans has been clamoring for a Battle Royale tournament to be launched by Activision. 

Continuing the conversation with Abios, Kristersson said that eSoccer had been a particular winner from the pandemic, with audiences very receptive to digital soccer simply because it was a familiar, fun, and easy-to-bet-on option. Overall, esports saw an increase even though LAN tournaments were canceled, he explained.

Today, Unibet prides itself to be one of the few sportsbooks that can reliably bring esports betting options to Swedish customers and other regulated markets, and no small part of this has been made possible by the company’s collaboration with Abios.