04 May The state of representation in esports
When AFK Pros launched in 2021 as a new pillar to the already established AFK Group, it entered the market with the goal of representing international esports professionals across a variety of titles.
However, despite the sector showing significant improvements over the last few years, there are still some issues when it comes to representation within the esports scene. Many players within the scene still have to directly negotiate with the teams themselves.
Image credit: AFK Pros
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It’s still regular to see a number of players offering their services on Twitter as they search for new teams to play for, many of which with no representation. Moreover, within most esports ecosystems, organisations generally have most of the power when it comes to contract discussions.
Prior to the esports agency ‘boom’ period that recently occurred, only a few established agencies existed, meaning that there was not much choice for players. As a result, agencies had lots of players attached to portfolios and the companies weren’t able to be as personable. Agencies also dominated certain games, which resulted in lots of players in similar roles being represented under one roof.
One of the agencies looking to establish itself within the sector’s growth is AFK Group. Having already worked with content creators, AFK Pros looks to utilise its skills from this scene to enhance opportunities within the esports sector.
Jamie Wootton, Lead Esports Agent at AFK Pros, commented: “The team decided to take advantage of the experience and connections it had acquired through three busy years of development on the creator side of our business and apply them to the esports market as well.
“We felt as if many of the skills could be easily transferred to the esports space, a market which we believed lacked competition and innovation, to help players who didn’t have support or weren’t taken care of appropriately.”
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AFK noted that it’s important for agencies to learn from mistakes that were made in the industry. This way businesses within the esports representation scene can adapt and provide greater services to cater towards the professionals.
When speaking with AFK Pros, the esports division emphasised its focus on providing for current clientele in the off-season, opting to go for quality of service over the quantity of players on its roster.
Nevertheless, it’s not good enough to just focus on current talent. According to AFK, it’s important to adapt and innovate in the growing market, with the main aim of putting talent first. As such, speaking to clients and regularly conducting surveys with talent is one way that agencies can determine what is good and what isn’t about its services.
Recently, AFK conducted one of these surveys, asking questions about communication skills and monthly workshop tutorials. The agency also gave players the chance to write answers about how to get more from AFK Pros.
Image credit: AFK Pros
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Overall, the results revealed that 93 percent of AFK Pros talent gave the agency at least 4 out of 5 stars in terms of overall satisfaction. Nevertheless, there are still issues across the industry with the representation of talented esports players.
AFK Pros, among other emerging and established esports agencies, are working closely with professionals in an attempt to develop alongside the industry and provide a greater service.
Supported by AFK Group
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