During the Cologne Major 2026, Sebastian Weissgaar, Director of Esports at ESL FACEIT Group, shared his insights on the current state and future of the esports industry. Weissgaar believes the market has matured significantly, moving past the challenges of the so-called ‘winter of esports’ into a more stable phase.

“Everyone loves to talk about the ‘winter of esports.’ But I think we’ve already passed through it. We’ve returned to the ‘spring of esports’ and are moving towards summer,” Weissgaar said.

The industry has shown resilience despite numerous changes and project closures. However, monetization remains a significant challenge compared to traditional sports. Esports still relies heavily on free platforms like Twitch and YouTube for revenue.

“We can’t suddenly switch to a paid model. We need to create premium offerings that fans will want to pay for,” Weissgaar added.

Weissgaar highlighted France as a leading esports market, noting the particularly vocal fanbase of Team Vitality. He also emphasized the role of new generations growing up with video games in driving future audience growth and interest in esports. Looking ahead, Weissgaar remains optimistic about the future of esports.

“Time is on esports’ side. Its future looks very promising,” Weissgaar concluded.