Call of Duty becomes most viewed eSports title, takes #1 spot over League of Legends in US & Western Europe

Call of Duty eSports has seen incredible growth since Black Ops 2. Treyarch’s push and support with that game provided tons of features for eSports players and viewers alike. And, Activision has started hosting their Call of Duty Championship annual event, with the 2014 one concluding over two weeks ago.

Redbull has reported new data from a research company that states Call of Duty is now #1 for eSports in terms of audience and viewers, beating League of Legends in US and Western Europe only. This data does not include any other locations.

“There is a very high correlation between big spenders and people that watch or participate in eSports,” said Peter Warman, CEO of Newzoo. “Only 5 percent of all eSports enthusiasts never spend money on games, compared to 32 percent for all gamers. One in five of gamers in the U.S. that can be considered ‘big spenders’ on games – spending more than $20 per month – watches eSports regularly, or participates. If you also take gamers into account that only watch eSports occasionally, this goes up to 41 percent of any American gamer. It illustrates the effective marketing potential of eSports.”

According to Warman, the most popular eSports franchise in the US and Western Europe together is Call of Duty with 44 percent, followed by League of Legends (42 percent), World of Tanks (17 percent), StarCraft 2 (13 percent) and Dota 2 (7 percent).

SOURCE: Redbull