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Newzoo Twitch viewing stats show how big eSports events really shake up the top games

The International 2016

It comes as no massive surprise, but the big eSports events really do pull in the viewers on Twitch. This year’s Dota 2 International at the start of August, for example, saw the game knock League of Legends in to the number two spot on Twitch’s most viewed list, for eSports hours, at least. 

Related: here are the best LoL Champions for beginners.

According to market analysts Newzoo, people spent 33.2 million hours watching Dota 2 eSports on Twitch in August, compared to 24.1 million watching LoL. Of course, LoL still takes the top spot for total hours watched, recording 79.3 million hours, compared to Dota 2’s 51.6 million.

Similarly, Overwatch gained three spots, moving the number five for eSports hours watched, thanks to the ESL Atlantic Showdown that took place during Gamescom in Cologne. This put the FPS just behind CS:GO.

In other predictable news, World of Warcraft jumped up three spots for total hours viewed, thanks to people anticipating Legion, the MMO’s big expansion.

It just goes to show how much an event can boost viewership, so it’s no wonder almost every game released these days has eSports aspirations. Head over to the Newzoo site for a full breakdown of all the players.