PreScouter, a Chicago-based research intelligence company, has published a new Intelligence Brief that identifies existing opportunities in esports apparel and offers insights from top medical professionals working with esports athletes to understand their currently unmet needs.

The gaming industry is larger than ever, bringing in more revenue than the worldwide box office, music industry, NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL combined. However, as noted by Genevieve Engleman, Occupational Therapist and coauthor of the report, “Despite the booming viewership and immense influx of capital into the esports industry, these professionals are currently neglected in terms of their overall health and well-being, which is cutting their gaming lifespans tragically short.”

This Intelligence Brief identifies shortfalls in meeting the needs of esports athletes and highlights six golden opportunities for the sportswear, apparel, and tech markets. According to Dr. Daniel Morales, Technical Director of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) at PreScouter and lead author, “The integration of functionalized apparel that addresses the health and performance needs of esports athletes is in its nascent stages.”

To facilitate a deeper understanding of the opportunities for functional apparel and to validate hypotheses generated during the research phase, PreScouter interviewed three medical experts who work directly with esports athletes to understand their unique needs. Their insights are presented through graphic analyses and comments that highlight the specific issues that companies should be paying attention to in order to reap the benefits of the potential revenue from producing products for the esports apparel, sportswear and technology markets.

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In addition, the brief profiles what is currently available for these markets as well as how these products are being marketed.

“Companies that make the effort to truly understand and cater to the functional needs of esports athletics, including the coaches, players, and fans, have a huge opportunity to become a megabrand in a burgeoning industry,” says Daniel Morales.