SINGAPORE: E-sports, or competitive video gaming, is on course to become a billion-dollar sector, with the epidemic of COVID-19 boosting its appeal and visibility. According to Niko Partners, a provider of market data on the games business, Asia has the greatest audience of e-sports players and fans in the world, with an expected 510 million fans and 595 million gamers in 2019.
In 2019, the region accounted for nearly half of all global e-sports income, at $519 million.
Some market analysts predict double-digit revenue growth in the ASEAN region this year.
It is so large, with over a billion players worldwide, that its admirers refer to it as the “largest sport on the planet.”
READ: Why e-sports is (still) surviving in the age of quarantine
Corporate partners are becoming increasingly interested in growth metrics like these.
Mr Lau Kin Wai, co-founder of the Esports Players League, stated that interest from sponsors and companies has increased, especially because traditional sports advertising was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Esports Players League is a grassroots e-sports event and platform focusing on online competition and digital involvement.
“Brands and businesses are constantly seeking for new methods to engage their customers or potential customers. I’ve noticed a lot of interest from firms that cater to young people “Mr Lau expressed his thoughts.
“We’re also expanding quickly in terms of our ability to attract sponsors and advertising to our platforms and virtual events. Whether it’s traditional technology, youthful consumer-related firms, or even non-traditional brands that seek to tap into this part of the market. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback. Added to that, several of these firms that undertake traditional advertising on sporting events were unable to do so during the pandemic,” he said. Young digital natives make up the majority of e-sports fans. Seven out of ten e-sports fans are men, aged 18 to 34, with the average age of an e-sports fan being 26 years old, according to Nielsen. Women, on the other hand, are leveling the playing field, particularly in Asia. Kimberlyn See, co-founder of Asterix, an all-female eSports team, has been gaming for over 15 years. “We’ve definitely seen a lot more media attention on e-sports in Singapore in the last one or two years,” he says “Ms See, who is also the operations lead at Female Sports League, expressed her thoughts. “When I first started gaming in general, it was not as widespread as it is now, when you can see primary school children holding their mobile phones and simply gaming on them. In the past, something like this would have been quite rare,” she explained. READ: From livestreaming to e-sports, here’s what you need to know. In Singapore, female gamers are on the rise. Because of the growing popularity of gaming platforms and the rapid advancement of technology, there may be chances for investors. “Because of the growth of e-sports, there are a lot more game publishers investing their money or even a lot of investors from different sectors and businesses seeking to invest money in e-sports,” Ms See explained. Mr. Kelvin Wong, a market analyst at CMC Markets, pointed out that e-sports is made up of a broad ecosystem, which begins with game publishers. There are also online streaming providers, hardware providers, and accessory providers like as headsets. Several Exchange Traded Funds, such as Global X Video Games & Esports and VanEck Vectors Video Gaming & eSports, are available for investors who desire a more diversified approach, he noted./n
