{"id":143183,"date":"2023-09-01T13:03:32","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T12:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/?p=143183"},"modified":"2023-09-04T12:29:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T11:29:59","slug":"esports-in-game-item-drops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2023\/09\/esports-in-game-item-drops","title":{"rendered":"How publishers use in-game drops to drive esports viewership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"975\" height=\"609\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Skins-edited.jpg\" alt=\"CS:GO Skins\" class=\"wp-image-142057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Skins-edited.jpg 975w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Skins-edited-medium.jpg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Skins-edited-medium_large.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image credit: Valve<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36bdd16\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Very few innovations in the esports world have motivated hardcore games to convert to esports viewers quite like in-game item rewards, colloquially referred to as \u2018drops\u2019. Almost all major competitions have them: in League of Legends, VALORANT, Counter Strike, Rainbow Six, Overwatch, Rocket League, even Halo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36be4f3\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Drops work by rewarding players with in-game items either randomly or after a certain number of hours have been watched of a given esport, or specific tournament. Viewers who watch the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS), for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/esports.rocketleague.com\/rewards\/\">can earn exclusive in-game items<\/a> for their cars. It can be as simple as a cosmetic attachment for your gun or as fundamental as a beta pass to a new game: in short, drops bring more eyeballs to a desired broadcast.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36bec84\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>As the practice has become more common, different publishers have introduced their own in-game item drop schemes to incentivise viewership.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"keep-reading \"  id=\"kr-67cf5c36bfa37\">\n  <div class=\"heading\">Keep Reading<\/div>\n  <ul class=\"d-flex flex-column\">\n          <li id=\"post-140540\" style=\"order: 1;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2023\/06\/counter-strike-2-golden-esport-opportunity\" target=\"_blank\">Counter-Strike 2 is a golden opportunity for Valve\u2019s legendary esport<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-141604\" style=\"order: 3;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2023\/07\/overwatch-league-vote-buyout\" target=\"_blank\">Overwatch League teams to vote on league\u2019s future, offered $6m termination fee<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-142664\" style=\"order: 2;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2023\/08\/valve-counter-strike-esports-business\" target=\"_blank\">OPINION: Valve&#8217;s Counter-Strike &#8216;open ecosystem&#8217; changes come with dangers<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c0bd8\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>One of the most notable examples of leveraging in-game drops to draw viewers was in 2020, when Riot Games was launching its then-brand new shooter, VALORANT. To get access to the game\u2019s beta you had to watch certain broadcasts with your Riot Games account linked to your Twitch, a strategy now replicated by many publishers.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c1365\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>It worked like a lottery where any viewer could be the next lucky gamer to get access to the new tactical FPS that all the big names were playing at the time. Thanks to this strategy, and the hype campaign Riot is known for, in the months of April and May VALORANT became the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessofbusiness.com\/articles\/the-most-watched-twitch-channels-of-may\/\">most watched video game on Twitch<\/a>, beating colossuses like Riot\u2019s own League of Legends and Valve\u2019s CS:GO.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c1ac7\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Overwatch 2, meanwhile, also offers a \u2018watch and earn\u2019 scheme where players can get in-game sprays, character skins and other cosmetics from watching the Overwatch League. Blizzard\u2019s Overwatch drop system offers a case study in the efficacy of audience retention when using in-game drops. Blizzard said in a recent press conference that 70% of Overwatch players care deeply about collecting the various in-game skins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c2236\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>When Blizzard put one of their new premium skins as a reward for watching six full hours of competitions, the viewership of that particular weekend of matches jumped by 25%, per data from viewership analytics platform Esports Charts. But for the following week of competitions, where there was no new cosmetic for watching, viewership dropped back down again \u2014 by almost 25%.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c29ba\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The same thing happened a few months later but with an Overwatch League-themed skin. The rise and subsequent fall were not as severe (only 8%) but it drew attention to the fact that drops can be a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"975\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI.jpg\" alt=\"overwatch league\" class=\"wp-image-49006\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI.jpg 975w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI-768x532.jpg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI-100x70.jpg 100w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI-218x150.jpg 218w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI-696x482.jpg 696w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/When-should-esports-investors-realistically-expect-ROI-607x420.jpg 607w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Overwatch League has a dedicated program to reward viewers with in-game items. Image credit: Overwatch League<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c3274\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Another interesting case study comes from one of the esports with the most loyal fanbases: Halo. When Halo Infinite dropped its multiplayer as a separate free to play experience, the internet exploded and viewership records were broken when the first Halo Championship Series (HCS) Major debuted a few months later. <\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c39eb\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>But in the following weeks, many of the new players \u2014 and viewers \u2014 lost interest, leaving only the older, dedicated, more loyal core fanbase of the historic shooter. Against this backdrop, developer 343 Industries tried to draw viewers back with in-game item rewards for fans during its 2021 season. However, the audience metrics of the tournament appear to have remained largely unchanged by the presence of drops. <\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c4174\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Viewership remained right along its previous average of 55,000-60,000 viewers despite the free cosmetics that the broadcast promoted \u2014 an indication, perhaps, that the game\u2019s more established core fanbase was willing to watch Halo esports regardless of drops.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c4946\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>In CS:GO, meanwhile, Valve had long used a drop system to reward viewers of \u2018Majors\u2019 \u2014 Valve-sponsored events that are the most prestigious in the CS:GO calendar. The drops came in the form of \u2018souvenir packages\u2019 that dropped randomly after watching a game, and gained hype and notoriety for their (very low) chance to contain extremely rare skins worth thousands of real-world dollars.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230520_Michal_Konkol_D3_BLAST_PARIS_MAJOR_CHAMPIONS-159-1-large.jpg\" alt=\"BLAST Paris Major\" class=\"wp-image-141588\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230520_Michal_Konkol_D3_BLAST_PARIS_MAJOR_CHAMPIONS-159-1-large.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230520_Michal_Konkol_D3_BLAST_PARIS_MAJOR_CHAMPIONS-159-1-medium.jpg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230520_Michal_Konkol_D3_BLAST_PARIS_MAJOR_CHAMPIONS-159-1-medium_large.jpg 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230520_Michal_Konkol_D3_BLAST_PARIS_MAJOR_CHAMPIONS-159-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20230520_Michal_Konkol_D3_BLAST_PARIS_MAJOR_CHAMPIONS-159-1.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">CS:GO Majors were long famous for the rare chance to drop valuable in-game skins to viewers. Image credit: BLAST, Michal Konkol<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c51fc\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>CS:GO Majors have always been the most watched esports events (nine of the top ten CS:GO events by peak viewers were Majors), though it\u2019s impossible to delineate how much of that viewership was driven by drops rather than the prestige and scale of the tournament.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c5986\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>However, Valve has since essentially removed in-game drop rewards for watching majors, instead moving to a system where users buy a digital pass and must correctly guess tournament results in order to get prizes. Despite removing this supposed viewing incentive, the change has not appeared to affect viewership \u2014 in fact, CS:GO has seen sizable viewership growth of its Majors since the changes took place.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c60e9\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>In-game drops can be a useful resource in understanding the audience of an esport and their motivations for playing and watching. And there\u2019s evidence to suggest drops can boost viewership \u2014 at least while they remain active.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf5c36c685e\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Case studies indicate that implementing in-game drops has to be a carefully planned move and be a part of a well-planned strategy in order to avoid fleeting gains. However, the effect is variable across titles, and also depends on a variety of other factors \u2014 it is one tool amongst many in publishers&#8217; arsenals to boost esports viewership.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image credit: Valve Very few innovations in the esports world have motivated hardcore games to convert to esports viewers quite like in-game item rewards, colloquially referred to as \u2018drops\u2019. Almost all major competitions have them: in League of Legends, VALORANT, Counter Strike, Rainbow Six, Overwatch, Rocket League, even Halo.&nbsp; Drops work by rewarding players with &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2023\/09\/esports-in-game-item-drops\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":142057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","esi_template":"default","excluded":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,10142,8999,50,55,8707,8717,106,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-counter-strike","category-data","category-editors-picks","category-features","category-esports-titles","category-halo","category-insights","category-latest-news","category-overwatch"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How publishers use in-game drops to drive esports 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