Which Video Games Are Attracting Pro Gamers?

Blockbuster video game “Fortnite” generated $3 billion in profits for game developer Epic Games in 2018, so video game investors have all the motivation in the world to determine which game is going to be the next sensation.

Popular professional esports players and video game streamers have millions of fans and followers, so the games these pros play are likely raking in the cash.

Benzinga took a look at eight of the most popular Twitch streamers to see which games they’ve been playing lately and which companies could have 2019’s biggest hit.

Top Streamers

Tyler Blevins streams on Twitch as “Ninja” and is the platform’s biggest star, with more than 11.1 million followers. Blevins started out 2019 streaming “Fortnite” but has since focused primarily on “Apex Legends,” a game published by Electronic Arts, Inc. EA in early February.

Michael Grzesiek is a former professional “Counter-Strike” player who now streams on Twitch full-time under the name “Shroud.” In addition to “Apex Legends,” Grzesiek has also been streaming “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,” a game published by private company Valve Corporation that became free to play in December.

Ali Kabbani streams as “Tsm_myth” and is the top “Fortnite” player in the world, with 4.2 million Twitch followers and 3.7 million YouTube subscribers. In 2019, Kabbani has mostly stuck to his guns with “Fortnite,” but he also dipped his toes into “Apex Legends” for a couple of streams earlier this month.

Jaryd Lazar streams on Twitch as “Summit1g” and has more than 3.2 million followers. Lazar has also focused on “Apex Legends” since its release, but was previously streaming “Sea of Thieves,” a game published by Microsoft Corporation MSFT in March 2018.

Timothy John Betar streams as “TimTheTatMan” and has 2.7 million Twitch followers and 730,000 YouTube subscribers. It should come as no surprise that Betar has been streaming mostly “Fortnite” and “Apex Legends” for the past month.

Guy Beahm streams on Twitch as “DrDisrespect,” has 2.6 million followers and averaged 35,700 viewers over his past 15 streams. Beahm has been streaming “Apex Legends” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4,” which was published by Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI and released in October 2018.

Tom Cassell streams on Twitch as “Syndicate” and has 2.6 million followers and nearly 10 million YouTube subscribers. Cassell has focused almost entirely on “Call of Duty” so far in 2019.

Brett Hoffman streams on Twitch as “Dakotaz” and has 2.5 million followers and 2.3 million YouTube subscribers. In the past month, Hoffman has been streaming “Fortnite” and “Apex Legends” exclusively.

Takeaway

After running down the list of top streamers, it looks like EA may have the top new game of 2019 with “Apex Legends.”

A month after the game’s release, however, and it’s still way too early to see if “Apex Legends” will have the staying power of “Fortnite” or even “Call of Duty.”

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Screenshot courtesy of Epic Games.