Rise of the eSports Industry in Indonesia; Ultimo Hombre AXIS Pyramid League
According to game market researcher Newzoo revenues in the global electronic sports (eSports) industry will rise 38 percent year-on-year (y/y) to USD $906 million in full-year 2018, a significant increase from USD $655 million worth of revenues in the preceding year. The USD $1 billion threshold is expected to be hit in 2019. Meanwhile, by 2019 it is also estimated that 427 million people worldwide will be watching eSports. This thriving industry opens up opportunities for professional players, event organizers, investors, game developers, media institutions, sponsors, and so forth.
North America and China are the regions that drive revenue in the eSports industry today. North America is estimated to contribute 38 percent to total revenue that is generated in the eSports industry in 2018, followed by China with an 18 percent slice of the cake. That China is a rapidly growing market can be concluded from the fact that the eRiot Games League of Legends World Championship was held here; the most watched eSports event in 2017.
Also in Indonesia games are not just played for fun anymore. And the fact that eSports was included in the 2018 Asian Games – held between 18 August and 2 September 2018 in the cities of Jakarta and Palembang - is a sign that eSports has started to become regarded as a professional competitive sport that requires advanced skills, training and a professional attitude from the players. The last sentence uses the words “started to become regarded as a professional […] sport” because at the 2018 Asian Games the eSports event only came in the form of an exhibition tournament in which participating nations competed against each other (thus there were no gold, silver or bronze medals at stake).
Read the interview in the August 2018 edition of Indonesia Investments' research report