Esports competitions in Asia

The sixth season of the Predator League Asia-Pacific, with a 40 thousand dollar prize, will be held in Kuala Lumpur. Players in this league from 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region compete with one another in Dota 2 and Valorant esports competitions. On the occasion of this event, we will further examine the potential of the Asian continent's esports competitions and its status relative to the global market.

In 1972, a computer-game competition event was held for the first time with the game Space War in the United States. Eight years later, in 1980, the Atari company held an event focused on the game Space Invaders with more than 10 thousand participants. The popularity of these competitions among video game fans increased to such an extent that in 2018 about 380 million people watched this event.

The value and revenue of esports competitions in the world and especially in Asia have increased significantly in recent years. This increase is due to the rapid growth in the number of players, large private- and public-sector investments, and the widespread popularity of video games at the global level.

Acer, a company known for its activity in hardware equipment, will hold the sixth season of the Predator competitions in Malaysia. Previous seasons of this event had been hosted in Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Manila, and also online during the coronavirus pandemic. In these competitions, the champions of each region will compete with one another at an in-person event in November 2024.

Andrew Hou, head of Acer's Asia-Pacific division, said about these competitions:

"Computer games are a passion and one of the powerful pillars of Acer. Along with the growth of this industry, which has become public entertainment, we design and develop every product according to these users' needs. The Predator League Asia-Pacific connects us to the thriving computer-games community."

The main winner's prize will be a large part of a special prize worth 180,000 Malaysian ringgit and the opportunity to represent Malaysia in the grand final of the Predator League Asia-Pacific. Since these competitions began, their organizers have awarded 1.75 million US dollars to computer-game winners.

The state of the esports industry in Asia

In 2024 the esports industry on the Asian continent has had significant growth, created through technological advances, increased use of smartphones, and growing interest in computer games. The popularity of mobile esports, supported by the development of 5G networks, is one of the main factors in this expansion in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Revenue from esports competitions and their sponsorship in Southeast Asia had reached more than 3 billion dollars in 2023.

The Asian continent holds more than 50% of the global esports market, and countries such as China, South Korea, and Japan are leaders in terms of revenue. China alone had more than 17 billion dollars in revenue from the esports industry in 2023. It is forecast that this industry's revenue will be more than 445 million dollars in 2024, which will make this country the world's largest esports market by the end of 2027. South Korea has also recently been recognized as the cradle of esports and, with companies such as KT Rolster and SK Telecom, enjoys considerable revenues in this market.

Comparison of esports competitions in Asia and the world

The main distinguishing feature of esports competitions on the Asian continent and in the world goes back to genre, the style of competition in the games, and their regional audiences. Mobile games such as PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends are very popular in Asia, especially in its southeastern regions such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and the number of viewers of these competitions reaches millions of people. At the global level as well, competitions in games such as the League of Legends World Championship, Rocket League, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are among the most-watched events. Viewers of these competitions have been estimated at more than 100 million people. The titles mentioned indicate that mobile games have a larger share in Asia's esports competitions relative to the global level.

Overall, the Asian continent, because of its focus on mobile games and also the prominent role of countries such as China and South Korea, is considered one of the largest regions in the esports arena, while America and Europe remain the leaders of this industry in holding competitions with very high prizes.

Global revenue from this industry is forecast to reach about 1.87 billion dollars by 2024. From the standpoint of total global revenue, because of the existence of extensive markets in America and Europe, this market holds a high position at the international level. However, games-sector experts believe that Asia's share of this market has been increasing and that this region will probably have the largest share of the global market in the near future.

Asia's most popular esports competitions in 2024

Given the growth and maturity of online computer and mobile games among players, in past years we have seen well-made titles that, through their popularity, were able to make their way into esports competitions. The appeal of these games is typically measured on the basis of prize value and the number of event viewers. These titles have also had a considerable share of Asia's most popular esports competitions in 2024.

The International Dota 2 competitions, with the largest cash prizes in esports, lead the Asian continent's events, awarding in total more than 100 million dollars to winners in each season. In terms of prize amounts and prestige, these competitions hold one of the highest levels of esports competitions. The PUBG Mobile Global Championship event, with more than 4 million dollars in cash prizes in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, has also gained extraordinary popularity among players of the old continent.

The annual Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Invitational (MSC) 2024 event, because of its broad regional popularity especially in Southeast Asia, is also expected to have set a prize of about 500,000 dollars for the winners. The ZOWIE eXTREMESLAND CS Asia Open competitions this year also have a 100,000 dollar cash prize, which so far has attracted the best teams in the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive from across Asia.

Final word

From the beginning of 2015 to the present, about 203 million dollars has been paid as prizes to enthusiasts of esports competitions around the world. The Asian continent and especially its southeast are experiencing the fastest growth in this industry's history, and this region's revenue is expected to reach 72.5 million dollars by 2024.

The growth of mobile games in Asia relative to the world has turned this region into one of the leading markets in esports aimed at the use of smart devices. In addition to a 20.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), it is forecast that by 2027 total revenue of esports competitions in Asia will reach 1.5 billion dollars, which indicates long-term growth and the consolidation of this region's position as a major power for presence in esports competitions at the global level.