Former FACEIT Executive Says Esports Should Stop Chasing Traditional Sports

Former FACEIT esports director Roald van Buuren believes the esports industry should stop trying to imitate traditional sports, arguing that competitive gaming has already moved ahead in many ways — just in a completely different format.

In a recent post on X, van Buuren explained that since the early 2000s, esports organizations have spent years trying to gain the same level of recognition as traditional sports. According to him, tournament operators adopted familiar elements from football, basketball, and other mainstream competitions, including massive arena shows, strict broadcast structures, polished commentary desks, and television-style production.

However, van Buuren said the rise of Twitch completely changed the direction of the industry. He noted that game developers began building massive communities around livestreams and online interaction, creating a new entertainment ecosystem that traditional sports could not easily replicate. As a result, major sports brands and athletes eventually started looking toward esports in an attempt to connect with younger digital audiences.

Despite esports’ online success, van Buuren admitted that monetization remains one of the industry’s biggest challenges. He suggested that companies should move away from expensive attempts to recreate traditional sports spectacles and instead focus on developing their own long-term platforms and ecosystems.

According to van Buuren, platforms similar to FACEIT or Twitch offer a more sustainable future because they generate additional revenue beyond tournaments and the games themselves. He argued that esports should prioritize products and experiences that reflect how modern audiences actually compete, watch, and interact online.

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Van Buuren also stated that he does not believe esports should continue relying on outdated sports broadcasting templates, especially at a time when traditional sports media is already moving away from those formats. In his view, esports needs to push forward by creating entirely new ways for communities to engage with competitive gaming rather than copying systems built for another era.