This weekend past the Associated Press (AP) moved to have their say on the esports v eSports v e-sports debate and the verdict is in. It’s esports.
Um @lkesten did the AP finally get "esports" right? https://t.co/qeyK4M0pgs
— Ben Silverman (@ben_silverman) March 24, 2017
The decision was said not to be easy but nevertheless it was confirmed at the weekend’s American Copy Editors Society meeting. The next style guide of the AP will include esports as just that, no hyphen and no capital s in sight. Esports will only be used at the beginning of the sentence (although admissions for headlines or titles are acceptable) as it’s not a proper noun. This update was one of 200 confirmed at the meeting in St. Petersburg and will be ‘officially released’ as part of the 2017 style book on May 31st.
The AP may not be the globally recognised body when it comes to checking correct grammar usage in the English language but it’s a reputable source for American journalists. This gives this decision, for what’s it worth, some weight. Whilst we have long tutted at eSports, there have been far more criminal attempts such as e-Sports and then there are those who avoid it entirely with e-gaming.
Since so many of you are asking: AP style is now esports, due to "industry trends and general usage."
— Lou Kesten (@lkesten) March 25, 2017
We now expect other style books to follow suit but doubtless there will continue to be eSports and e-sports protesters who refuse to tow the line. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the situation and reporting swiftly back to the AP. As of the time of writing, eSports remains in place on Wikipedia…
Esports Insider says: We have long been committed enemies of the capitalised S. The champagne is flowing at ESI HQ and the cheque’s in the post for the Associated Press.