Esports Industry Annual Survey 2022

The Esports Industry Annual Survey 2022 is the fourth edition and analyses more than 400 responses from professionals involved in esports across the globe to assess the opportunities and challenges facing the industry, how esports can align monetisation with viewership, and the continuing impact of the pandemic on this burgeoning industry.

Some of the key Esports Industry Annual Survey 2022 findings include:

  1. Nearly 90% of executives queried expect investment and deal activity to increase over the first half of 2022.
  2. Half of the respondents expect esports-dedicated investment funds to increase their investment into esports in 2022 (up 20 percentage points since our previous survey in 2020). And once again, advertising and sponsorships are expected to drive the most revenue growth in esports over the next year
  3. 72% of respondents agree esports needs a single overarching governing body for regulation and rule-setting (up from 45% in 2020). Additionally, half of those surveyed believe a lack of adequate detection systems and monitoring tools for fraud and cheating posed the greatest threat to the growth of the esports betting market
  4. Respondents identified cybersecurity (42%) and intellectual property and licensing (40%) as the legal issues posing the most risk to esports. Cyberbullying, player protections, and labour and employment issues all followed closely behind

In November of last year, an esports viewership record was set when over 4 million people watched the 2021 World Championship for League of Legends. The high mark, which came despite the exclusion of Chinese platforms, surpassed the previous peak set two years earlier and allayed fears that pandemic fallout would negatively affect audience size. Indeed, esports viewership is up, even with the return of some in-person events, and esports revenues are projected to reach $1.8 billion this year.

These high-flying numbers – as well as occasional viewership climbing to 220.5 million and dedicated viewership up to 215.3 million globally – are likely behind the bullish sentiment in the 4th Annual Esports Survey conducted by Foley & Lardner LLP, Sports Business Journal, and The Esports Observer.

Download the Esports Industry Annual Survey 2022

Click here to download the Esports Industry Annual Survey 2022. You may also be interested in reading the esports sponsorship exposure trends report 2021. Click here to learn more.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Esport an industry?

Yes. Esports is forecast to generate nearly USD $1.38 billion in revenues by the end of 2022 (source: Newzoo)

Is esports a growing industry?

Yes, global esports revenues are forecast to exceed USD $1.86 billion by 2025, representing a healthy CAGR of +13.4% (source: Newzoo).

Which country is No 1 in esports?

China will generate nearly a third of the worldwide esports revenues of USD $1.38 billion. Southeast Asia, Central Southern Asia, and Latin America are the fastest-growing regions, with 2020-2025 CAGRs of +27.6%, +23.4%, and +19%, respectively