Analysts take a look into the future with a forecast for the distribution of MOBAs in 2016.
Anyone who knows a little about gaming is probably aware that League of Legends has taken a leading role in the currently hottest genre, the MOBA sector, and is thriving. The potential market share of Riot in the future can be seen in this pie chart. Experts from EEDAR, video game analysts, created a forecast for 2016. LoL holds a 66% market share here. The only somewhat serious competitor, DOTA 2, stands at 14%. The remaining candidates share the remaining 20%.
The pie chart among MOBAs is probably already distributed. LoL and Dota likely have massive player bases and defend them with tooth and claw (and with ever more sophisticated skins). Anyone who wants to succeed now must offer alternatives to League of Legends and DOTA 2. This has been achieved by Hi-Rez with Smite, which occupies a different niche with the third-person perspective. Also, Heroes of the Storm, which focuses more on “accessibility,” could still play a role in 2016.
According to EEDAR, League of Legends retains players strongly simply because it takes a long time to become “good” at the game and equip one’s account with all the heroes, skins, and items. They do not want to give that up and switch to another game. Due to the dominance of League of Legends, other developers have already discontinued their MOBA titles, most recently EA with Dawngate.
EEDAR believes new titles need to offer a shallower learning curve and dazzle with innovations to have a chance.
