Asia
New research from Niko Partners: Asia share of the global esports market continues to grow
The Asia esports market is more than 57% of the $1.1 billion dollar global esports market.
Niko Partners, a market research and consulting firm covering video games, esports, and streaming in Asia and the Middle East, today announced the release of the 2022 Esports in Asia and Esports in China reports. Asia is the world’s largest and most important region for esports and Niko’s reports cover the esports markets of China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Key takeaways from the reports include:
- The Asia esports industry generated a combined revenue of $USD 634.3 million in 2021, growing 16.6% over the previous year
- Asia’s esports audience grew by 13% in 2021. There are nearly 700 million esports fans across the region
- Asia accounts for 57% of the estimated USD $1.1 billion global esports market, a 2.7% increase over 2020
- Esports tournament prize pools in Asia totaled $60 million (USD) in 2021, up from $20 million in 2020.
- The top esports genres are Battle Royale and MOBA
- India and Southeast Asia will see the largest YoY revenue growth by the end of this year at 18.3% and 17.2%
- China remains the largest esports market in Asia and the largest single-country market in the world with USD $403.1 million in esports revenue and 434 million esports fans last year. China’s esports revenue grew by 14% and its esports audience grew by 11.8% in 2021
- Esports competitors inChina are 1.5x more engaged and spend 2.4x more on gaming when compared to gamers who do not competitively play esports
- The leading PC esports titles in Asia are League of Legends, PUBG, and Valorant
- The leading mobile esports titles in Asia are PUBG Mobile/BGMI, Free Fire, and League of Legends: Wild Rift
“2021 saw the continuation of a trend we identified in 2020, brand partnerships in esports are growing in number and value and this remains the leading value generator in the esports space,” said Alexander Champlin, director of esports research at Niko Partners. “The growing value of esports sponsorships, brand partnerships, and tournaments (both online and in-person) are the leading drivers of the market’s rebound.”
Niko’s research methodology for games market reports includes gamer surveys, trends analysis on key topics such as esports, leading games and game company market share estimates, review of regulations and policy, interviews with key game companies, analysis of drivers and inhibitors for growth, review of distribution, hardware, payments, internet cafes, and more. Each market report provides a comprehensive market model and 5-year forecast of games and gamers, and qualitative and quantitative analysis on gamer demand, behavior and usage for games.
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Asia
Macau Government Extends Lottery Concession of Macau Slot Until 5 June 2026

The Macau government has extended the lottery concession of Macau Slot Co Ltd for one year until 5 June 2026.
The concession renewal was published in the official gazette on Wednesday. Further extensions may be granted, subject to mutual agreement between the Macau government and Macau Slot.
As part of the renewal terms, Macau Slot is required to gradually reduce its number of non-resident employees and actively collaborate with the government to recruit and retain local talent.
Earlier this month, the government held a meeting with Macau Slot representatives to discuss the extension. According to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), the city’s industry regulator, Macau Slot committed to cutting 35% of its non-local, non-skilled workforce—equivalent to 26 positions—by the first quarter of 2026. The company also pledged to make further reductions to its foreign labour quota in the future. Currently, non-local staff account for 15% of the total workforce at Macau Slot.
“Over the past year, despite fluctuations in the macroeconomic environment and slower economic recovery in neighbouring regions, the local economy has remained relatively stable under the guidance of the Macau SAR government’s policies,” Macau Slot said in a statement.
“Looking ahead, we are committed to further diversifying our sports betting products to meet customer demand, while upgrading our information technology infrastructure to stay current and deliver more comprehensive sports betting services.”
The post Macau Government Extends Lottery Concession of Macau Slot Until 5 June 2026 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
QTech Games strengthens its elite suite with Bigpot Gaming

Emerging-markets leader expands its all-encompassing library with exciting new slots portfolio
The post QTech Games strengthens its elite suite with Bigpot Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Polemos Announces Partnership with Guinevere Capital

Polemos, a Web3 gaming infrastructure platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Guinevere Capital, a prominent esports and gaming investment firm known for its investments and advisory roles in projects such as GiantX, iTero, Perion, Skybox and various other projects across the industry. Guinevere Capital has established a strong reputation for its work across global Web2 gaming titles, including League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League and many more. This partnership aims to leverage the combined expertise of Polemos.io and Guinevere Capital to enhance and further monetise audiences across publishers, infrastructure players, gaming companies, studios and platforms.
The collaboration will focus on integrating advanced asset management and engagement tools from Polemos.io’s Forge platform with Guinevere Capital’s extensive network and experience in both Web2 and esports ecosystems. This will create new monetisation opportunities and improve player experiences by bridging traditional gaming with blockchain-enabled innovations.
Carl Wilgenbus, CEO of Polemos.io, said: “Partnering with Guinevere Capital marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand access to gaming rewards and unlock new revenue streams for the entire gaming industry. Together, we will empower publishers and studios to better engage their audiences and capitalize on the evolving landscape of gaming and esports.”
“Polemos has built an impressive piece of infrastructure that has plugged a huge gap in the gaming sector. We look forward to working with them to commercialise this,” said Dave Harris, a partner at Guinevere Capital.
Dave’s previous experience includes investing in and operating top teams and leagues in the Riot Games and Activision Blizzard ecosystems.
Guinevere Capital’s strategic involvement will accelerate the adoption of blockchain gaming infrastructure while supporting the growth of esports and gaming communities worldwide. This alliance underscores a shared vision to drive innovation, education and monetisation in the gaming sector by combining Web2’s reach with Web3’s potential.
The post Polemos Announces Partnership with Guinevere Capital appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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