According to our Esports Tracker, the PUBG IP led the way in esports for the Asia-10 region in 2022. 22.2% of all esports tournaments held in the Asia-10 region featured either PUBG Mobile, PUBG, or Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) as one of their tournament games, which constitute 3 of the 10 most played games across the region for 2022.
BGMI is especially notable as India banned the game in July, yet it still managed to be one of the most popular esports games of the year. It will be interesting to continue to track the India market specifically to see if it is a single game or a combination of games that ultimately ends up replacing the popularity of BGMI in the country.
Riot Games also had a busy year in esports with Valorant, League of Legends, and League of Legends: Wild Rift all making the top 10. Riot Games has ramped up its esports initiatives in Asia this year and has opened regional offices to support future growth. We believe Riot Games will grow its position in 2023 given it is set to take over operation of League of Legends in Southeast Asia and solely focus on Asia for Wild Rift esports.
The first quarter of 2023 has been positive for China video game approvals and Niko Partners expects total game licenses Learn more >
Game Show & Trade, All-Round, popularly known as G-Star, first took place in 2005 and is South Korea’s premier annual Learn more >
The first quarter of 2023 has been positive for China video game approvals and Niko Partners expects total game licenses Learn more >
Game Show & Trade, All-Round, popularly known as G-Star, first took place in 2005 and is South Korea’s premier annual Learn more >