Community is the key to the esports industry’s success, not winning tournaments, says Fnatic’s former CEO

Esports is going in the wrong direction, if you ask me. And nobody has asked me. But all this focus on bravado, mainstream appeal, and flashiness won’t spell long-term success. To make esports viable, we need community.

Wouter Sleijffers was the CEO of Fnatic from 2015 to 2019. He was there for many iconic moments for the team, including making it to the finals of the League of Legends World Championship in 2018. Despite Fnatic being pretty successful at tournaments during that time, Sleijffers told Esports Now that it’s not about that.

In fact, even “top four is good enough,” he said. Winning constantly could even harm an esports organization in the long run. This may sound counterproductive, since you’d think orgs just want the prize money. But Wouter emphasized it’s not about that. It’s about keeping star players. Star players who would be poached if you get win after win after win. You’re better off being sorta good and having these well-known players that fans latch onto.

“In competition, being number one may not yield as much result as just being popular or a good personality,” Sleijffers said.

Let me be clear: Sleijffers never said that esports needs to be solely grassroots or that trying to appeal to newcomers is cringe. I’ve had this debate with co-workers before. I’m from the FGC, where anything not seen as authentic is automatically attacked and hated. For this reason, I’ve written a few pieces arguing that the kind of passion you see in the FGC is the key to esports’ success. But I know money is needed, too, of course.

However, I don’t think any money will do. Desperate cash grabs and unrelated sponsorships are not going to lead to long-term community building or ongoing revenue streams. The Esports World Cup has been heavily criticized for its “cringe” attempt at making esports seem bigger than it is. The opening ceremony has been an ongoing discussion of over-the-top bravado rather than focusing on what esports is really about. Our article notes that it’s not really meant for existing fans but to appeal to the random Europeans who attend out of boredom and curiosity. It’s for the sponsors who want to see something big that they understand, like a concert.

I get that. But I don’t think this leads to long-term success. At the time, I had wondered: “If they wanted a DJ so bad, why didn’t they throw in some remixes of songs from the participating esports titles? Why did they create a song about the competition, like League of Legends does?”

And that’s what I’m getting at. You can connect the hardcore, judge-y esports fans with the “normies” in a way that appeals to everyone. Bring the outsiders into the fold by giving them something fun and exciting, sure, but also give them something that helps them understand the world they’ve entered. That way, they can feel a connection to esports, not just the DJ set. Meanwhile, esports fans won’t feel ignored and critical.

It can be a tricky balance, Sleijffers admitted: “How do you create something that is commercially interesting for brands? Sometimes you could say it’s a bit of a dirty word, but it’s actually not a sellout. There can be a beautiful partnership between a brand and its fans if done right.”

One way to do that? Community empowerment. For things to feel organic, genuine, and meaningful, some of the control has to be given to the fans.

He recalled: “I remember one of those experiences in the earlier days with Fnatic, to give you an example. It was with the Street Fighter community and Henry, our then-finance controller. He was part of the community, and we were with Fnatic in the bunker in London. He said, ‘Hey guys, can I use the bunker for a weekend? We’re thinking about organising some tournaments.’ I said, ‘Sure Henry, here are the keys. No one is here on the weekend.’

“Already by Saturday morning, I got messages saying, ‘Hey, do you know what’s happening there?’ It was full – rammed full with the Street Fighter community, not only from London or the UK, but coming from abroad to play and compete the whole weekend.

“So we were like, ‘Henry, what did you do? Can you do that again?’ But it was all self-organized. This translates to so much love for the community and for the game.”

Another idea? Maybe use those popular players that are so valuable to teams. My mom once told me that she started watching baseball just because she was invested in the players, their stories, and the team’s challenges. Esports has tons of personalities, as Sleijffers pointed out, and organizations need to utilize them more. Give newcomers someone to connect with or be entertained by.

Community can also be grown through streamers. I’ve argued in the past that co-streaming numbers don’t count towards a tournament’s viewership. And we’ve covered the embarrassing deposition of Evo having streamer showcases, which led to Ludwig Ahgren saying to a room full of fighting game nerds that Street Fighter isn’t worth streaming.

I’m not back tracking from these things. Instead, I’m saying, once again, that there’s a way to do it correctly. You can pick streamers who actually care about esports, but have a wider reach. Sleijffers gave Marc “Caedrel” Lamont as an example, noting that he was formerly a pro player who became a successful caster and streamer. He gets a lot more viewers than the pro players. It appeals to casual players, but still gives esports fans something real and passionate to watch.

“From an ROI perspective, you get more viewers with simple gameplay edits without needing expensive talent in the content. As a CEO, sometimes you need to think along those lines and look at what you get back,” Sleijffers explained.

“Don’t get me wrong, esports is a beautiful thing, and the passion is amazing, but managing what you get in return means the balance is now tipped more towards streamers. In competition, being number one may not yield as many results as just being popular or having a great personality.”

You don’t need someone like Ludwig or Tyler1. You can find unique personalities from that community, bringing esports and the broader gaming community together. So, again, it’s about finding that right balance rather than chasing over-the-top fantasies and ignoring what esports is. Stop pretending it’s a traditional sport. Stop pretending it’s a popular musician. It’s not.

From Sleijffers’ interview, you can see that true esports growth comes from authentic and community-focused activations. These can extend beyond esports by featuring popular singers (make them sing about the tournament) or popular streamers (make sure they have some passion for the game). Pretending esports is something it’s not will only harm its long-term growth.

Sleijffers said that many teams have failed by trying to emulate sports teams’ monetization strategies without the infrastructure or commercial inventory needed to do so. He said: “You can only reach profit in a mature ecosystem that isn’t just borrowed from somewhere else.”

He pointed to the Overwatch League (RIP). The franchise model esports system was pitched to Fnatic at the time. But the organization balked at the opportunity because they’d have to come up with a new name (think San Francisco Shock or Boston Uprising). They’d lose their identity as Fnatic.

“I always viewed it as an immature game trying to slap a mature sports model on top of itself. If you grow too fast without the infrastructure, you fail fast too,” he said.

Again, esports is not sports. It’s just not. It’s nowhere near that level. And maybe it should stop trying to be. Focus on esports fans and then the gaming community with authentic content that makes it clear it’s about esports. You can try to make things more appealing with music, a DJ set, a comedy skit, but those should show the spirit of esports.

Let it grow naturally. Stop trying to entice people with random, unrelated slop. But also, don’t gatekeep. Make the esports community approachable, fun, diverse, and positive. Support new players and celebrate new fans, even if they’re not hardcore stat nerds who remember when Team Liquid was a StarCraft website.

“You can’t micro-manage every level centrally. Publisher and tournament operators should provide the rulesets and digital tools, then trust local communities to self-organize grassroots events that feed points into the top-level circuits,” Sleijffers said.

“I see it locally where I live with card game and darts tournaments. My son played in local Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments at a local fair – he started out as a young boy facing older players, but the system tracked his points and progression all the way through. That grassroots experience and authentic connection is what makes gaming so powerful, and that’s what we need to foster.”

Don’t pretend esports is something it’s not. But don’t be afraid to be a bit silly, a bit experimental, and even a bit appealing.