Asia is home to the largest audience of esports players and fans in the world, according to the “Esports in Asia” report that has been added to the ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. This report covers the development of the esports industry across Asia and its implications for the global market.
Esports has emerged as one of the strongest drivers of growth in the gaming industry, and nowhere is this more evident than Asia. For over two decades Asia has led global esports trends, serving as a predictor of developments that have shaped esports around the world. Understanding Asia is key to understanding the future of esports and gaming.
- Esports in Asia generated US $543.8 million in revenue in 2020, representing a 4.9% increase over 2019 despite the challenges of Covid-19.
- The industry in the region continued to grow in 2021 and will likely approach or exceed US $600 million in revenue for Asia in 2021, barring any major disruptions. This would reflect a 10.5% growth over 2020.
- The Asia esports market accounts for more than 54% of the nearly US $1 billion-dollar global esports market.
- The value of esports licensing and media rights grew in 2020 as platforms sought content and sponsors sought alternatives to relationships with traditional sports media. Esports’ ability to move to online-only play made them a popular alternative to live media events impacted by new regulations.
- Esports viewership in Asia boomed in 2020, growing to 618.4 million esports spectators in 2020. This is a 21% increase over 510 million Asian esports spectators in 2019.
- Licensing and partnerships are expected to be the fastest growing parts of the esports ecosystem as global viewership continues to rise.
These increases seem to have forced an esports push in the Asian market. This year will see esports featured as official medal events in the 19th Asian Games. As many as 45 Asian countries will participate in the games. With the ever-increasing popularity of esports, it is likely that more events like the Asian Games will include competitive gaming.
