Open Access

E-sports: An analysis on global growth, revenue streams, and threats

1 Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Burdur, Turkiye

Abstract

E-sports has rapidly become a growing industry in recent years. E-sports refers to organized video game competitions played by amateur and professional players and has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry with a global following. The E-sports market benefits from revenue streams such as sponsorships, media rights, digital, ticketing and merchandise sales, broadcasting fees, and streaming. In this article, a SWOT analysis is conducted to examine the E-sports market size, trends, regional distribution, and revenue streams. According to the analysis results, Match-fixing poses a threat to the E-sports industry. Match-fixing and manipulation in the E-sports industry can be a potential risk due to the competitive nature of the game, which includes the potential for betting, leading to an increased risk of exploitation. Such incidents can undermine the industry's integrity and credibility, potentially causing players, teams, and sponsors to lose trust. Based on regional analysis, the Asia-Pacific region stands out as a leader in E-sports organizations, generating a revenue of $525.8 million in 2020. The Asia-Pacific region's strengths include high growth potential and leadership opportunities.

Keywords

How to Cite

Sahin, A. (2023). E-sports: An analysis on global growth, revenue streams, and threats. Journal of ROL Sport Sciences, 514–529. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10030937

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