In 2019, the volume of esports’ world segment reached $950 mln with Russia accounting for 3 percent of the world market, or $28.6 mln, said AC expert Valeria Syrtseva. According to her, by 2023 the Russian market volume may reach $50 mln. The forecast growth rate is 15%, while 15.4 million people are believed to be involved in esports.
The conference participants said it is the Covid-19 pandemic that is behind the growing interest to the industry. The lockdown was instrumental in the merger of traditional sports and esports. Thus, sports federations held joint online tournaments, which attracted big crowds. “Last year’s Chess Olympics was carried out fully online for the first time ever. The question: is chess a kind of esport? From my own perspective -- yes it is. Events held during the quarantine and which did not involve sparring were officiated online”, said Russian Deputy Sports Minister Andrei Selsky”. He added that modern technologies are able to answer the long-standing questions as to e-sportsmen, namely “what to do with the physical form of those engaged in esports?” In his opinion, both traditional sports and esports will soon embrace cyberphysical systems and exns esoon embrace cyvhape of thioskeletons. “Those are new technical means for sports. In the recent past, esports was an intellectual game but nowadays it is somewhere in-between intellectual games and sports with the use of technical means and moving towards paramilitary sports”, said Selsky.
“The door to the Z-generation community is also opened by esports”, Nikolai Petrosyan, Esforse Holding’s media arm manager, said. “For those born in the 2000s, esports is nothing less than a real sport”, he added. They account for 32% of the world’s population; the figure for Russia is 13%. Notably, 70% of them are gamers and they live in a digital environment. Their purchasing power is $44 bln, an amount which tends to rise. The future of many industries depends on the way they will spend their money.
“With that in mind various brands increasingly often stake on esports for sponsorships”, said Sergei Burkhudaryan, Esforse Holding’s business manager. That allows them to refresh their image and become more technology-oriented. That way the brands boost the loyalty of their current clients and transform themselves as to meet requirements of the generations to come. There are new brands, and there are the market’s old-timers both testifying to a definite stability of the market.
The fact is only 14% of Russians consider esports as a full-fledged sports discipline. According to experts, many promising teams and players start their career in regions with underdeveloped sponsorship mechanisms. Moreover, there is a shortage of analysts, commentators and engineers able to serve esports events.
The experts are positive that the government is able to move the industry forward in this country. Thus, President of the Russian Esports Federation (RESF) Dmitry Smit believes the government is in a position to introduce professions needed in esports and support the industry participants at the regional level. The conference participants added that the transition of traditional sports into an online regime may also prove beneficial. They strongly believe that the right supporting actions can facilitate the country’s mass sport progress.
Esports’ promising nature for young people’s career advancement, and the importance of educational programs were highlighted by Yaroslav Meshalkin, Esforce Holding’s strategic communications manager, Co-Chairman of the Gaming Industry and E-Sports cluster of the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC), and Konstantin Pozdnyakov, head of the Business Management Department of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
The videoconference was organized jointly with the Russian Esports Federation.