StarCraft 2 is often called the King of esports nowadays, but this game hasn’t always been at the top of its success and popularity in professional esports. The history of the game began in 2010, and it has experienced periods of significant rises and unexpected falls during this time. Its peak viewership was in 2018 when over 176k people followed the tournament. And though the statistics have dropped significantly since that time, StarCraft is the third most followed esports game in 2024. What makes this classic game so attractive to players and spectators? How has StarCraft 2 gained such great popularity? Let’s find the answers to these questions now.

How Has StartCraft Influenced The Release And Popularity Of Its Sequel?

The first StarCraft game was released by Blizzard in 1998 and has attracted lots of fans, especially in South Korea, where the first online tournaments took place. The game has even led to the creation of the professional Korean e-Sports Association and the professional team league called StarCraft Proleague.

However, the game hasn’t boasted that level of popularity as its sequel, released in 2010. This new franchise has become a signal that esports is entering a new era since this game was designed for professional play, and its release coincided with the growth in live streaming. Though it hasn’t been so actively listed by hungarian sports betting platforms like GGBET HU at that time, it has become the most watched game in 2010 already!

StartCraft 2 In ESports: From Start To Current Popularity

The initial release of StarCraft in 2010 immediately showed that this game is meant for esports, first of all. Though the Korean league didn’t agree to transition to StarCraft 2, many other players all around the world have appreciated the new release. No wonder that the first large StarCraft 2 tournament has taken place during the beta testing period, several months prior to the release. This tournament has shown a huge potential of the game based on the viewership and sponsorship data, so StarCraft 2 turned into a success-oriented esports rather quickly.

The first large esports events, such as Major League Gaming and Intel Extreme Masters, were organized immediately after the game’s release. The next important step was the creation and broadcasting of the GSL, which featured a series of 3 open tournaments with a rather impressive prize pool. 

2011 and 2012 were the peak of StarCraft 2 popularity, having made it the largest esports on the globe. The development company has also organized the World Championship Series, which confirmed that StarCraft 2 is the most watched, sponsored and popularized esports. 

In the period between 2013 and 2017, StarCraft 2 lost a good deal of its popularity because of the rivalry between teams and the end of the team competition in South Korea. However, the development company has come up with the right idea and made StarCraft 2 a free-to-play game since November 2017, which has led to the next surge in its popularity. Since that time, the game has featured annual World Championships according to the new system known as ESL Pro Tour and attracts thousands of followers all around the world!

Reasons To Make StarCraft 2 A Professional ESports Leader

Analyzing the latest statistics, StarCraft 2 is still popular and highly appreciated by spectators worldwide. In 2024, the game attracted almost 61,000 instant viewers and over 24,500 average viewers, which put it in third place in the top game list immediately after Rainbow Six and Fortnite. Moreover, the EWC performance was the 2nd highest for StarCraft in 2024, having been outnumbered only by IEM Katowice, which reached 77,200 viewers.

All this proves that StarCraft 2 remains a leader of professional esports, and there are several reasons for that.

• This is the oldest esports game with an established audience, which has followed the game for over 15 years, and has already succeeded in their careers, which allows them to be more generous.
• StarCraft 2 is an accurately balanced game with powerful support in terms of patches, tournament features, and expansions, and with a focus on player skills.
• Random elements are represented in very small numbers, so players can achieve considerable results thanks to much practice and knowledge.
• It features extremely fast gameplay, allowing a high level of competition and a variety of strategies. 

There are many reasons why StarCraft 2 has gained such recognition and popularity not only among players but also among spectators, so it won’t lose its leading place in esports for a long time.