The worldwide esports market is skyrocketing. In the last five years, the number of tournaments has increased fivefold. The total prize money distributed across esports went from $5.5 million in 2010 to $65 million in 2015. Today, market intelligence companies like Newzoo and SuperData document the enormous growth year in and year out. Although, it’s been only a couple of years since these reports were available.

Newzoo and SuperData are coining the discussion when it comes to market size and growth predictions. Every time you hear that esports is going to surpass $1.1 billion in 2019, it leads back to a Newzoo report. If you come across the number of roughly $1.9 billion in 2018 it’s SuperData you just met. Media outlets and sales decks around the globe refer to these numbers day by day.

Industry reporting is a valuable and well-needed service that needs a lot of resources. Solid research with reliable results can’t be generated overnight, and the competition might get fierce. The field of market intelligence lately was shadowed by the appearance of two giants. In January, the world-renowned audit firm Deloitte released its report “eSports: Bigger and smaller than you think.” Three months later PwC—another member of the Big Four—published “The burgeoning evolution of eSports: From the fringes to front and center.”

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Esports is reaching some kind of tipping point.”[/perfectpullquote]To be clear: both Big Four reports were just scratching the surface, both relied heavily on external data (ironically derived from Newzoo and SuperData), and both prompted questions. Still, the arrival of the Big Four in esports is disrupting on its own. Back in January, when Deloitte stated that “esports advocates overestimate the current market size,” it was a hit in the face of an industry that boasts about huge crowds and whopping prize money every other day. Deloitte’s researcher Duncan Stewart even called esports market research “all over the place,” which almost sounds like a declaration of war.

Up until now, it’s been only a couple of pages. But what if the Big Four really start digging into esports? Chris Lederer, who was involved in the creation of the PwC report, stated that

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Large professional service companies are now covering, talking and consulting on the esports business. Lots of global players start to enter. We hear our own clients talk about it. I would say it makes a story.”[/perfectpullquote]

Is it the beginning of the “Big Four of esports”? It very well could be. For smaller-scale specialists like Newzoo and SuperData, it means a remarkable amount of competition. There is no comfort zone anymore; there is no guaranteed publicity.

Esports is a very unique market, though. Brands from more traditional businesses happen to make a lot of mistakes when they first enter the stage. Just recently, it was Bud Light’s campaign announcement that left us with nothing but deadly boredom. And the same is true for PwC’s and Deloitte’s reports. Instead of really shining a light on the market, both companies considered themselves satisfied with a boring wrap up of what was—more or less—already known.

Sure, Deloitte shook things up a little with their thesis of esports being “bigger and smaller than you think.” And yes, PwC’s survey which claimed that more women are involved in esports than men was good for a lot of headlines. But in the greater scheme of things, both reports barely scratched the surface.

That doesn’t mean that one of the Big Four wouldn’t be capable of realizing a solid esports study. Deloitte and PwC employ some 200,000 professionals around the globe. Both generate revenue of more than $30 billion per year. It would definitely lift esports market research to a new level. It would be a game changer just like when former NBA player Rick Fox bought a spot in the LCS, ESPN founded an esports vertical, or TBS announced their own League.

In the ordinary run of things, growing niche markets—which have been dominated by specialist companies until then—sooner rather than later attract the big money. Suddenly, long-established brands enter the space and claim their territory. Whether it’s professional teams, media organizations, or market intelligence companies, the trend is obvious: big fish eat little fish.