eSports
New research from Newzoo and Tencent reveals Southeast Asia Esports to reach US$72.5 million revenue by 2024
Esports has always grown much faster in the developed economies such as North America and Western Europe due to sophisticated IT infrastructure. Major esports titles also mostly played on PC, which posed significant entry barriers for those living in developing markets. This is now changing due to smartphones being more accessible than ever with major esports opportunities for developing markets such as Southeast Asia, where mobile gaming dominates.
A new consumer insight study conducted by Newzoo showed that a whopping 82% of the total online Southeast Asia population plays mobile games with 39% being mobile-first gamers.
“We are seeing the rise of esports from being played via traditional PCs and consoles to mobile esports, and this is influenced by new developments in improved mobile hardware and 5G networks,” said James Yang, Director of PUBG MOBILE Global Esports, Tencent Games.
Southeast Asia as the region has seen the fastest revenue growth in the global esports industry. Esports revenue in Southeast Asia is expected by Newzoo to grow at a healthy CAGR (2019 – 2024) of +20.8% to reach US$72.5 million in 2024. The growth rate is nearly double the global CAGR of +11.1% for the sector.
By the end of 2021 the region will hit 42.5 million esports audiences. In Southeast Asia, the spectacular rise of esports has been fuelling the games market. The region’s unique mobile-first nature means the two most-watched esports events are mobile games – PUBG MOBILE and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
PUBG MOBILE has an expansive competitive presence in Southeast Asia with esports opportunities at all levels of play from its PUBG Mobile Club Open to its PUBG Mobile Pro League Southeast Asia Championship. In PUBG MOBILE’s latest global tournament, PUBG Mobile World Invitational 2021, Thailand based Valdus Esports were crowned winners of the PMWI East showcasing the strength of the region.
“Esports is a significant trend that few can ignore, and stakeholders from within the industry and outside of it will benefit by coming together to further develop and enhance the ecosystem. It’s no doubt a catalyst that will spur the growth of various relevant industries with innovations in the region and across the world,” said James Yang, Director of PUBG MOBILE Global Esports, Tencent Games.
Powered by WPeMatico
Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer, announced a partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company. Designed to integrate eye health education with innovative eyewear solutions for the esports community, the partnership will officially launch at DreamHack festival in Dallas, taking place from May 31 to June 2.
This collaboration will showcase a co-branded collection of lifestyle and competitive eyewear and accessories, highlighting Zenni Optical’s commitment to promoting overall eye health, particularly in addressing issues like eye fatigue and strain. Additionally, the initiative will incorporate essential eye health education across various DreamHack Festivals, in alignment with EFG’s broader mission to foster inclusive gaming worlds and engaged, supported communities.
“DreamHack and ESL represent some of the most community-centric and prestigious competitive events in the world. In their own unique ways, they embody esports for everyone. By partnering with these incredible brands across the gaming and esports spaces, we aim to create engaging experiences that combine eye-health education with innovative eyewear solutions for players and fans at all levels,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Gaming, Sports, & Events at Zenni Optical.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zenni Optical as the Official Eyewear Partner of DreamHack and ESL. The genuine passion that Zenni has for the esports industry is a refreshing sight to see, and a major driving factor for the decision behind our partnership. Zenni’s ongoing commitment to provide eyewear for everyone mirrors our own drive to create worlds beyond gameplay for gamers everywhere,” Craig Levine, Co-CEO at EFG, said.
Bucks Gaming’s Cream City Convergence Esports Tournament has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, becoming one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the prestigious Capcom Cup.
The Capcom Cup is an annual Street Fighter 6 competition, hosted by video game developer and esports organizer Capcom, with a $1 million first place prize. Each year, Capcom selects a small number of tournaments worldwide to serve as Capcom Pro Tour events, with the winning players from each event qualifying for the Capcom Cup. As one of the tournaments selected by Capcom for the honor this year, Cream City Convergence will become the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer.
Top-ranked Street Fighter 6 players will compete at Cream City Convergence when it returns for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Baird Center. In addition to Street Fighter 6, this year’s tournament will also have brackets for Tekken 8; Super Smash Bros Ultimate; Super Smash Bros Melee; and Guilty Gear: Strive.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced Kambi and Abios, its esports data subsidiary, as new ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters. This partnership signals the alignment of Kambi’s longstanding commitment to corporate probity and sports integrity with ESIC’s ongoing battle against match-fixing and corruption in esports.
Kambi and Abios join a distinguished class of other Anti-Corruption Supporter stakeholders who have historically worked with ESIC to ensure that attacks against the competitive integrity of esports competition are appropriately reported and dealt with. Anti-Corruption Supporters assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, supporting ESIC’s broader mission to combat cheating and betting fraud in the esports industry. Kambi and Abios’ entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class will see the entities actively work with ESIC to assist in ESIC’s mission to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute all attempts to compromise competitive integrity in esport competition.
Abios’ Managing Director and Founder, Anton Janér, commented: “Our mission at Abios has always been to enable the sustainable growth of esports. As such, we’re incredibly excited to join ESIC in their mission to future-proof esports through combatting match-fixing and other integrity-related malpractices. Fair play is a crucial component in ensuring the viability of esports as a long-term community and investment and we hope to be able to support the industry together with ESIC going forward.”
Stephen Hanna, ESIC’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Kambi and Abios as Anti-Corruption Supporters. Kambi and Abios are well trusted and recognised operators in their respective industries, and their entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class of ESIC membership emphasises their shared commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play within the esports industry.”
The post Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
EurAsia5 days agoEvoplay expands footprint in Georgia with Europebet partnership
-
Balkans5 days ago
SOFTSWISS Expands to Bulgaria: European Growth Through Partnership
-
Latest News4 days ago
NIFL Strikes Exclusive Data & Streaming Deal With FeedConstruct
-
Christine A. Dorchak5 days ago
Greyhound Advocates Applaud Gov. Ned Lamont for Signing Bill to Outlaw Dog Racing
-
Aposta Ganha4 days ago
Aposta Ganha strengthens LatAm sports betting market integrity with IBIA membership
-
Eastern Europe4 days ago
TotalBet Joins Forces with Fast Track to Boost Player Engagement
-
Latest News5 days ago
ELA Games Announces New Slot Game – Big Wave Delight
-
Compliance Updates4 days ago
ITIA Bans Two Players for Corruption Linked to Belgian Syndicate
