The Asia and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) regions contributed to over 56% of the global esports revenue in 2022, according to a report by Niko Partners, a market research firm specializing in esports. The “2023 Esports in Asia and MENA Report” revealed that the worldwide esports market was valued at approximately $1.3 billion, with China accounting for the majority of revenue in Asia and MENA at $445 million.
Although China generated the most revenue, the country’s esports audience decreased by 7.8% compared to the previous year. China accounts for approximately 34.2% of the esports market, with the country generating $445 million in esports revenue.
Conversely, other Asian markets, particularly India, Japan, and Southeast Asia (SEA), saw an increase in esports viewership. Niko Partners estimated that Asia and MENA had around 742 million esports enthusiasts in 2022, with China accounting for 400 million of them.
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According to Niko Partners, the global esports market size was determined based on several factors within the esports ecosystem, including tournament sponsorships, media licensing, team franchising, ticketing, merchandising, and livestreaming partnerships. However, revenue generated from in-app purchases, microtransactions, and game sales were excluded from the calculation, as were the revenues from livestreaming for esports titles and content creators.
The growth of this year’s esports markets is primarily impacted by local regulations, national excitement, and a changing investment landscape.
In Asia and MENA, Valorant, Dota 2, and League of Legends were the leading PC esports titles, while Apex Legends experienced impressive growth, particularly in Japan. Meanwhile, PUBG Mobile (BGMI/Peacekeeper Elite), League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang were the most popular mobile esports titles in the region.
On the other side, Insider Intelligence estimated that esports viewers in the US will reach 29.8 million in 2022 to 34.8 million in 2026. Meanwhile, according to PwC, Latin America is one of the fastest-growing regions, with esports revenue expected to reach $18 million in 2019 before skyrocketing to $42 million by 2023.
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