How EA views the end of the esports winter | Monica Dinsmore

6 days ago 65

February 3, 2025 7:30 AM

Madden NFL 25 is one of EA's long-term esports games.

Image Credit: EA Sports

The Esports Winter has been a topic of much discussion for years. Could it be we’re seeing a thaw?

Esports has gone through a lot of ups and downs and several winters over the decades. During the pandemic, in-person esports ground to a halt, but watching esports on digital channels skyrocketed.

As the esports started to recover, the optimism returned. In July 2022, esports organization FaZe Clan went public (via a SPAC) at a $725 million valuation. But in late 2023, FaZe Clan sold itself to GamesSquare in a stock deal worth $14 million, or less than just 2% of that number.

While esports results aren’t spectacular based on earlier expectations, the numbers are coming back. Esports is growing again, at least in certain categories. One of the companies that has been in esports for a long time is Electronic Arts, and it’s stayed the course in terms of growing its esports business.

At CES 2025 last month, I spoke with Monica Dinsmore, senior director of esports brand strategy and marketing at Electronic Arts about this topic.

Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.

GamesBeat: Do you have any predictions for 2025?

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