Singapore Seeks to Secure Esports Dominance

Recently, it was revealed that the micro-nation of Singapore was throwing its hat into the lucrative esports ring. In the last few years, Singapore as a nation has been expanding its connections with the esports industry, hosting tournaments and promoting hubs. Most recently, in May of 2021, Singapore became the home of the Free Fire World Series.

This tournament was an exclusive and high-value event that brought immense esports attention to Singapore’s doors. It ignited Free Fire betting and viewership, and overnight, it instantly injected more credibility into Singapore’s esports position. Now, another announcement has emerged from the tiny country, but it could have huge implications.

Asia Advances Exponentially in Esports

According to Niko Partners, Asia claims a whopping 54% of the global esports market. That’s a more-than-hefty chunk that boasts a value of around $550 million, with the total esports industry being valued at $1 billion. It’s thought that around 618 million people from Asian countries view esports events throughout the course of the year. There’s another figure floating around that suggests almost 700 million esports gamers are based within Asian nations.

Now, it comes as no surprise to learn that Singapore is eager to capitalise on that information. That’s why, this year, Singapore will host the world’s first ‘Asian edition’ of Gamescom. This is easily one of the biggest videogame-focused events in the world, behind the likes of E3. It’ll bring untold attention and good fortune to Singapore, which seeks to grow its esports footprint as time goes on.

Furthermore, Singapore will also be pushing out and broadcasting the Global Esports Games event this year. Recently, a partnership was announced between the Global Esports Federation and the Singapore Esports Association, officially named the Global Esports Games Organising Committee. In December of 2021, the Global Esports Games inaugural event will take place, and it’ll be back by a massively powerful infrastructure.

IMG, a global media distribution and management firm, has partnered with Global Esports Games as a distributor. This will ensure that content related to the event is pushed out all around the world with a high production value.

What’s Next for Singapore?

Whether mobile gaming, desktop gaming, or online-only esports, Singapore wants to get involved in as much as possible. It’s estimated that South-East Asia will see the biggest boom among the esports industry out of any other region on Earth over the next few years.

It’s thought that this rapid expansion has actually been brought on by the likes of mobile gaming. For instance, the Free Fire World Series that was hosted was played entirely on a mobile platform. There are also markets for the likes of PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile. Despite being exclusively handheld, there are still huge opportunities to broadcast and promote these tournaments and competitions.

It was revealed in a 2021 study by Newzoo that approximately 82% of the total online population around South-East Asia played mobile games. It seemed that, for some reason or another, mobile gaming was Singapore’s secret sauce.

Let’s see what happens as the country fleshes out its role in the industry.

Grant Taylor-Hill
Grant Taylor-Hill

Since: February 12, 2021

Grant is a lifelong, multi-platform gamer with a passion for journalism and more than ten years' experience in the industry. He'll try any game once, and when he's not playing them, he's watching them, being as he is an avid esports fan.

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