Starcraft 2 vs League of Legends: Destiny Weighs In

Blizzard's real-time strategy game Starcraft 2 is often lauded for its complexity, but its barrier of entry remains too high for casual gamers to participate in the game. While its complexity alone shouldn't be a problem, the fact remains that Blizzard hasn't supported the game as much as it should.

In the recent Pro Corner podcast (Episode 87), professional game commentator Steven "Destiny" Bonnell explained why so few people still play Starcraft 2 in contrast with League of Legends and why the professional scene in the former game is suffering from an exodus of players.

Starcraft 2 doesn't have widespread acceptance because Blizzard isn't as aggressive in its marketing of the game as Riot Games is with League of Legends, he says.

"Do you think people are going to want to bust their balls playing 15 hours a day of a game like Starcraft 2 and make like maybe $100K when there are million dollar tournaments for League of Legends?" Asked Destiny.

"Do you think that sponsors are going to want to sponsor an event that gets 50,000 viewers on a tournament when another event that applies to the exact same demographic with a 95% crossover from other communities is going to have 650,000 viewers?" He asked rhetorically. "What do you expect there?"

"That affects prize money. That affects teams. That affects sponsorships. That affects salaries. That affects everything," he said. "The casual scene is what the entire professional scene is built on, and a lot of professional people don't fucking realize that. And the fact that they don't hurts me as a person."

Destiny goes on to state that most decent players in the Starcraft 2 professional scene earn around $800 a month—a salary so low that it hardly justifies even playing the game.

"The professional side is important, and they should worry about that. But without the casual side to energize it, and monetize it, and give it the viewers that it needs to exist. The most competitive game in the world will always lose to something less competitive if it has a bigger casual audience. And that can be seen perfectly right now with League of Legends."