ESL R1 2023 Spring Major shows Rennsport's esports journey won't be easy

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The ESL R1 2023 Spring Major, the culmination of a series of Rennsport events over the spring, ended on June 6. At the end of it all, Hungarian driver Marcell Csincsik emerged victorious to claim the coveted ESL R1 2023 Spring Major Driver Championship title after reaching the designated 240-point mark first.

It did not do as well as the Regular Season — the ESL R1 2023 — but fans have gotten a glimpse of what the newest simulation racing game offers in competitive play. At the least, they know that the prize money is pretty enticing, with Marcell Csincsik pocketing €45K of total prize money of €225K, while runners-up Luke Bennett received €20K and the third-placed James Baldwin taking home €12.5K.

  Comparing the stats of the Regular Season and the Spring Major   

The ESL R1 2023 Spring Major peaked at 3.2K Peak Viewers, 25K Hours Watched, and 1.7K Average Viewers over an airtime of 15 hours. These were not numbers as good as the Regular Season, but that is also because it had a much longer format and structure.

What also helped the ESL R1 2023 was that it had a large Portuguese audience that helped pull up its numbers. This was missing in the Spring Major, where this major language plummeted by 1544.6%, with the most dominant language, English, although it kept its place atop this list, also falling by 137.9%.

A big reason for the fall in Portuguese numbers was that popular gaming content creator VelhoVamp1 barely streamed the Major, while he was present throughout the Regular Season. Similarly, another prominent contributor, gutocolvara, did not broadcast the live action from the Spring Major at all. There were also many more streamers contributing to community casting in general during the Regular Season, adding to its viewership stats.

  Biggest event for major racing disciplines by peak concurrent viewers   

Compared to other major competitors, the ESL R1 2023 Spring Major falls way behind in all metrics. But organizer ESL will take heart from the fact that it has gotten its feet inside the industry, with changes in forthcoming competitions and formats perhaps in the offing to ensure it attracts as many eyeballs as possible.

The most popular racing competition remains the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix Series Vietnam, while RFactor 2’s 2020 Le Mans 24 Virtual is the most watched. Other events with high stats come from disciplines like F1, iRacing, Gran Turismo, and Forza Motorsport.

Admittedly, these numbers are pretty far off from what Rennsport is currently pulling in, but with the kind of gameplay it aims to achieve, there are hopes of it catching up in the future. For now, it can rest easy knowing there are lots more action in store for fans this year when the Summer Season resumes, meaning more chances to climb up the viewership ladder.

About Rennsport and its esports scene

Rennsport came into being aiming to be seen as a worthy challenger to established names like Formula 1, Forza Motorsport, iRacing, Assetto Corsa, and rFactor 2, thanks to cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5 graphics and an emphasis on esports and modding.

Competition Company, a new organization developing and publishing this game, has finished the Closed Beta and began its debut esports series, the ESL R1, in January. It ran until May 15, with its viewership numbers ensuring it had a sedate start, with scope for some repair work.

Rennsport has set aside €500,000 as a prize pool for 2023 — which has two seasons — one of the biggest in the simulation racing discipline. This has attracted prominent names like FaZe Clan, FURIA Esports, G2 Esports, Williams, and Mercedes-AMG into its esports fold.