Asia's E-Sports Empire: How the Gaming Industry Is Becoming a Billion-Dollar Powerhouse

 

We all would have noticed our siblings sitting in front of the desktop and screaming at the top of their lungs to their fellow teammates through a mic while gaming. At that exact moment, we would have cast a look of ridiculousness towards them and continued to do our work.

But what if I tell you that these siblings of yours have a huge part in the next booming sector in the world- the Asian Esports business? According to the data shown by Market Data Forecast, the Asia Pacific virtual reality gaming market has been valued at USD 7,255.35 million for the year 2024. By 2033, this is expected to reach USD 8,982.85 million, highlighting the Asian gaming market trends.  This article will share a perspective on the Asia esports billion-dollar market, focusing on the Asia gaming industry. Who knows, maybe at the end of the article, you might have found your next investment hotspot.

How Asia’s esports industry is generating billion-dollar revenue

The e-sport is now not limited to being just a hobby. The Esports Asia market has emerged as the future hotspot of employment and investment. E-sports, which were limited to being a hobby, have now opened vast investment opportunities in many Asian countries.

The advancements in smartphones and the internet are also an added booster for this noticeable development. This has given rise to mobile esports in Asia. What was limited to desktop and laptop playing has been extended to smartphones due to the affordable smartphones and widespread connectivity like 5G. If we look back just a few days, mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang were dominating our phone screens globally.

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This increase in mobile esports has been noticed more in Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, where growth in mobile battle royale esports in Asia has become a cultural trend.  Events like MOBA esports Asia have created a new wave by highlighting the difference between Asian and Western esports. A wave that created history, by playing games on mobiles, which were played on PC’s and consoles.

Gaming has become one of the most natural ways to engage, connect, and inspire. It’s more than just a hobby. It’s a cultural touchpoint that brings people together and creates space for talent to shine. HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, president of the Saudi Esports Federation.

The increasing market growth and demand for the game

 Even the government has shown interest in promoting smartphone esports tournaments.  Esports Federation of India, South Korea’s League of Legends, and South Korea Esports Federation, China’s China Mobile eSports Games (CMSG) are supporting the esports culture in Asia.

Due to the increasing interaction with the game, governments' support and technological advancements, the market size of Asia's esports is expected to grow up to USD 1.6 billion and USD 7.25 billion by 2030. The major countries like India, China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia are witnessing an increasing level of participation in esports, and many trends like esports betting in the Asia market are increasing the Asia esports revenue.

Also Read: E-Sports: The Brainchild of Business and Gaming

Government support and initiatives

Any sector can flourish with the support and initiatives taken by the government. Similarly, Government support for esports in South Korea through the establishment of the South Korea Esports Federation and for esports festivals like League of Legends has brought it the name ‘birthplace of esports’ by Esports Insider. A huge credit for this development is South Korea's telecommunication infrastructure development, with advanced network connectivity and gaming smartphones.

Since 2021, esports has been considered a professional sport by the Thai government. This Thailand esports government recognition has helped in legitimizing the players and increasing the esports involvement in the region. Adding to this, a huge role is being played by the organization, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF). AESF has been pulling together the stakeholders and promoting esports globally. This federation has also tried to make esports a major industry on the global stage by setting up the standards.

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The Future of Asian Esports

Many industry experts assure that there will be an increasing growth of the Asia esports investment due to the government initiative, global and local tournaments, and esports startups in Asia. The Asia mobile esports market forecast for 2025 will result in robust growth. The conversion of esports from professional sports has also given opportunities for more employment in a few regions. Many venture capitalists are funding government initiatives to attract greater returns.

The 3 big things that people should expect with esports over the next few years: more gender balance, the rise of mobile esports, and the rise of athletes coming from the developing world. Carlos Alimurung, CEO of One Esports

Now you realize that what we might think of as a mere hobby can actually generate an increased return on investment. So next time, when you hear about esports, make sure to look into the ongoing business development of the game for investments.