What you’ll learn from this report:

Asia is the world’s largest and most important region for esports, accounting for more than 57% of the $1.1 billion dollar global esports market, and is important to understand in its own right as well as a predictor of where the global esports industry is headed.

These are the industry’s most comprehensive reports on esports in China and Asia, covering market size and revenue, growth drivers and trends, game genres, top game titles, teams, tournaments and events, non-team esports organizations, the esports ecosystem and organization structures, communities, collegiate esports, women in esports, livestreaming, and mobile esports.

Each reports is a critical resource for anyone involved with the industry: investors, sponsors, game publishers, tournament organizers, agencies, and hardware, equipment, and peripheral makers.

The 2023 Esports report covering China, Asia, and MENA region is available here. 

PUBLISHED JULY 2022

Esports in China
$4,000

Esports in Asia
$5,000

Esports in China + Esports in Asia
2 report package
$7,000

Key takeaways from the analysis:

  • 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
  • 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
  • The growing value of esports sponsorships, brand partnerships, and tournaments (both online and in-person) are the leading drivers of the market’s rebound

Report contents:

2022 Esports in China report
covers Mainland China

• China’s esports industry overview
• China’s esports industry- key trends
• Esports audience and market size
• Percentage of male gamers that competed in esports
• Percentage of female gamers that competed in esports
• Esports participation by gender (competed in an esports event)
• Women in esports
• Esports competitors spending
• Esports competitors vs gamers who do not compete in esports
• Primary reason for visiting an internet café
• Esports relation with social gaming and spectatorship
• Covid-19 impact on esports 2021/2022
• Esports genres
– MOBA
– Battle royale
– First-person shooters (FPS)
– Real time strategy (RTS)
– Sports/Racing/Fighting
– Digital collectible card games and auto-battlers
• China’s esports ecosystem
• Investment in the esports ecosystem
– M&A / IPO/ Investment
– Team acquisitions
– Media broadcast rights
– Esports transfer window
• Government support for esports
• Esports as medal sport at Hangzhou 2022
• Esports and the Olympics
• Esports sponsors and brands
• Esports and lifestyle trend
• Brand collaborations in esports
– Title sponsorship
– Product cooperation
– Media content
– Offline and online event cooperation
• Esports hotels
• Chinese esports teams on the esports global stage
• Esports teams, tournaments, and orgs
• Esports team organizational chart
• Leading esports teams in China
• Leading esports organizations in China
• Top domestic leagues by prize pool 2022
• Top titles by prize pool
• Top genres in esports
• Growth in total prize pools for top esports titles (top domestic leagues only)
• PC esports landscape in China
• China notable esports tournaments (PC)
• Mobile esports in China
• China notable esports tournaments (Mobile)
• Esports on console in China
• Live/recorded video platforms usage
• Game live streaming landscape
• Game live streaming market
• Niko China games streaming tracker: Leading esports KOLs/streamers in China
• Niko China games steaming tracker: PC games
– Top streamed PC games
– Viewers, tips, and streamers for PC games
• Niko China games steaming tracker: Mobile games
– Top steamed mobile games
– Viewers, Tips and streamers for mobile games
• Esports reach
– Esports X tourism
– Esports X pan entertainment
– Esports X accessibility
• Esports and live streaming regulations

2022 Esports in Asia report
covers Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam

• Executive summary
• Esports revenue and market size
– Esports revenue in Asia
– Southeast Asia, India growth
– Esports viewership increase
– Asia-10 Vs China esports market
– Esports growth in 2022
– Revenue and audience growth in 2022 in Asia-10
• Esports genres
– MOBA
– Battle royale
– First-person shooters (FPS)
– Real time strategy (RTS)
– Sports/Racing/Fighting
– Digital collectible card games and auto-battlers
• Covid-19 and esports in Asia
• Covid-19 impact on internet cafes
• Government support and regulation of esports
• Notable esports governance organizations
• Esports education and player pipelines
• Women’s esports growth across Asia
• Multisport events: Asian games
• Multisport events: SEA games 2019 and 2021
• SEA games 2023
• Gaming-themed hotels launched in Malaysia, Singapore
• Esports ecosystem flow chart
• Esports team organizational chart
• Southeast Asia: The rising esports market in Asia
– Southeast Asian esports revenue
– Southeast Asia esports diverse ecosystem
– Tournament and partnership developments
– Infrastructure and governance
– SEA Notable esports tournaments (PC)
– SEA Notable esports tournaments (Mobile)
– SEA leading esports teams (H1 2022)
– SEA Leading esports KOLs (H1 2022)
– SEA Top esports Titles 2021-2022 H1
– SEA leading non-Team esports organizations
• Indonesia overview
• Indonesia esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to Indonesia
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– Indonesia livestreaming landscape
• Malaysia overview
– Malaysia esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to Malaysia
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– Malaysia livestreaming landscape
• Philippines
– Philippines esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to Philippines
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– Philippines livestreaming landscape
• Singapore overview
– Singapore esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to Singapore
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– Singapore livestreaming landscape
• Thailand overview
– Thailand esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to Thailand
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– Thailand livestreaming landscape
• Vietnam overview
– Vietnam esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to Vietnam
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– Vietnam livestreaming landscape
• Esports in India
– India esports market overview
– Esports regulatory bodies in India
– Broadening the reach of esports in India
– India notable esports tournaments (Mobile)
– India FreeFire ban impact on mobile esports
– Ban timeline
– FreeFire Pre/post-ban status in the market
– Impact on tournaments
– Impact on viewership
– Garena in India
– The future of FreeFire
– India notable esports tournaments (PC)
– India leading esports teams
– India esports tournament landscape
– Leading titles by number of international and domestic tournaments open to india
– Ratio of international to domestic tournaments
– India livestreaming landscape
• Esports in Japan
– Japanese esports developments
– Esports becoming a cultural force
– Esports overview 2021 and H1 2022
– Student esports
– The return of offline events
– Japan notable esports tournaments (PC & Console)
– Japan Notable esports tournaments (Mobile)
– Japan leading esports Teams
– Japan leading esports KOLs (H1 2022)
– Japan livestreaming landscape
• Esports in South Korea
– South Korea esports foundations
– 2021-2022 update
– South Korea notable esports tournaments (PC)
– South Korea notable esports tournaments (Mobile)
– South Korea leading esports Teams
– South Korea leading esports KOLs (H1 2022)
– South Korea livestreaming landscape
• Esports in Chinese Taipei
– Esports growth outside of lockdowns
– Esports ecosystem in Chinese Taipei
– Esports tournaments landscape
– New esports trends identified in Chinese Taipei
– Chinese Taipei notable esports tournaments (PC)
– Chinese Taipei notable esports tournaments (Mobile)
– Chinese Taipei leading esports Teams
– Chinese Taipei leading esports KOLs
– Chinese Taipei livestreaming landscape