Top Five Countries That Are Going All In On Esports

Featured image: Microsoft Copilot

In 2024 the esports industry went through a barrel of challenges. Many organisations had to halt operations while others turned to creating other sustainable initiatives to stay afloat. But there have been some organisations that stayed through it all and are fortunately reaping off the benefits of being in the business to this season, as the industry shows signs of steady growth. In these times there have been five countries that have taken notice of the esports growth and are doing well to improve on their local scenes. 

• Malaysia: Malaysia is committing itself to becoming a household name in embracing esports as a scene and career path. In February 2025, Mobile Legends’ M6 World Championship received an endorsement from the government after MOONTON Games hosted an event at Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena. The government kept it up with an announcement on plans to invest $4.6 million dollars in the Malaysian esports industry with the aim to develop the local scene which includes the infrastructure, talent management, career support and the improvement of the grassroots of esports initiatives within the country.  Malaysia is one of the notable names in Southeast Asian esports, with several esports organisations and players based in the country. MPL Malaysia Season 15, the country’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang League, attracted peak viewing numbers of about 497,877 (from Esports Charts). Malaysia tends to create a sustainable ecosystem for future generations to utilise when pursuing a career within the industry. 

• India: After its government officially recognised esports in 2023, India has become one of the notable names in the esports industry. The Ministry of Youth and Sports now governs the esports operations within the country. In the years since the government recognised esports, India has become a hotspot for stakeholders as part of their worldwide expansion. The Esports World Cup Foundation expanded its presence through partnerships with streaming services and opportunities for Indian teams to compete at the Esports World Cup. BLAST also joined forces with Reliance, a petroleum refinery and marketing company in India, which led to the tournament organiser opening a state-of-the-art production studio. The India esports ecosystem is heavily dominated by Battlegrounds Mobile Legends India (BGMI), which is a country-specific version of the free-to-play battle royale title PUBG: Mobile. The title was removed from stores due to issues with ties between China’s Tencent and developer KRAFTON, but was brought back in 2023 where KRAFTON continues to develop the BGMI ecosystem and is opening doors for bids for a franchise league. 

• UK: For two decades the esports scene has peaked in the United Kingdom, with the country housing some of the most notable esports organisations in the world. With interests renewed in 2025, the government seeks to recruit a Head of Video Games and Esports to work hand in hand with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and grow the country’s gaming and esports sectors. The UK is also a hub for publishers to host tentpole events. An example of this is the League of Legends Championship Finals being organised in the London O2 Arena, which marked the first time in seven years to have one of esports’ biggest events take place in England’s capital. There are also grassroots initiatives that are also taking their place accordingly. British Esports seeks to establish a gaming and esports arena by 2026, where the arena will be a hub for training and educating individuals who are looking to pursue a career path in esports. On the biggest stages UK players are also excelling accordingly. Call of Duty player Byron “Nastie” Plumridge appeared in two Call of Duty Legends (CDL) Majors while representing Vancouver Surge, while William “mezii” Merriman became the first UK Counter-Strike player to win a major tournament, as part of Team Vitality’s dominance in the Counter-Strike 2 title in 2025. 

• Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the latest country going all in on esports. Recent years have seen the Kingdom make millions of dollars in investments to build a sustainable ecosystem for esports to be able to support the local talent. This has attracted some of the biggest organisations, publishers and tournament organisers to their events. The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) was launched in 2024 and hosted the biggest multi-title events in esports history. A total of $62.5 million in prize money was awarded to players and organisations that form the event’s Club Championship, which is an initiative designed by the ECWF to encourage long-term growth and sustainability on a global scale. For 2025 the prize pool has been increased to $70 million, with an expansion to 40 organisations for Club Championship and focusing on attracting teams in China, Asia and Oceania. 

• France: France houses some of the successful esports organisations in the world, and its government has invested heavily in national esports initiatives designed to promote long-growth and stability. In 2023 the French government unveiled its national esports strategy, which is aimed to attract tournament organisers. The initiative was successful with BLAST hosting CS:GO’s final Major in Paris and the hosting of the 2025 Rocket League and Fortnite world championships in Lyon. France is still a hotspot for esports activity within Europe thanks to the initiatives launched by its government. Examples of organisations such Team Vitality and Karmine Corp continue to excel in their respective titles, as they bring attention to the country in the 2020s.  

Potential countries to embrace esports and develop their local scenes include China, South Korea, who have adopted esports into their mainstream culture and there will be countries who will very likely embrace esports also with its steady growth and development across the local and international scenes. 

Credit: esportsinsider.com

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Written by Jeffrey Osei-Agyeman