With the ever growing cross-over between mainstream sports and eSports, ESPN magazine has unveiled the cover of its next issue, which features world famous Twitch streamer Richard “Ninja” Blevins.
He’s taken gaming to new heights.@Ninja is ESPN the Magazine’s latest cover athlete. pic.twitter.com/s7mfTCiDuW
— ESPN (@espn) September 18, 2018
This is the first time the sports magazine has featured a Twitch Streamer and eSports player as its cover story, which details Blevins’ rise to fame and the incredible popularity of the game Fortnite.
ESPN also features a profile piece about the streamer and does a deep dive into the life of not just Blevins himself but also takes a broader look at Twitch streaming and eSports in general.
The 27-year old shot to global fame in March after the rapper Drake joined Blevins in a game of Fortnite, which, at its peak, had 635,000 concurrent viewers.
As a result, “Ninja” now has 11.3 million subscribers to his twitch channel and brings in more than half a million dollars a month.
A report from Nasdaq revealed that eSports currently attract around 162 million core viewers, a number that is expected to double by 2020.
With huge online audiences and event tickets selling out at large stadiums, it’s no wonder the AFL has decided to get in on the action.
This November, the AFL will team up with Riot Games, the creators of the incredibly popular League of Legends, to host a State-of-Origin style tournament at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.