Esports Around the World is a series of profiles outlining the esports ecosystem in different countries globally.
In just two short months, ESI is bringing its famous International Export Conference to Singapore for the first time. ESI Singapore takes place from 5 July to 7 July 2022, bringing our usual cocktail of top networking, education and sessions from industry leaders to the Lion City. Get tickets here.
The Esports Around the World Series will profile major and minor esports countries around the world.
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introduction
Singapore, an island city-state, plays an important role in the esports industry due to several major publishers having headquarters or offices in the country. These include Blizzard Entertainment (marketing), Electronic Arts (marketing), Garena, Razer, Riot Games and Ubisoft, among many other esports organizations and companies.
According to a report by Tencent and Newzoo, Singapore’s viewership in 2021 was 0.7 million, a small audience but comparatively high considering its small population of around five million.
Carlos Alimurung, CEO of Singapore-based One Esports, told Bloomberg that Southeast Asia is the ‘next frontier’ and ‘vanguard of mobile exports’, and Singapore was leading that charge due to its infrastructure and B2B enterprise landscape. Chris Tran, The Riot Games’ Head of Esports for Southeast Asia, also said that Singapore is an ideal market for global gaming trends.
The country has an extremely advanced Internet infrastructure. It has the highest broadband speeds globally, according to the Speedtest Global Index, as well as faster mobile data speeds and higher smartphone penetration. High-quality technology infrastructure, government support and its developed economy make Singapore an important export country and a center for Southeast Asian exports.
government recognition
The Singapore Esports Association (SGEA) is the national governing body for esports in Singapore and the National Sports Association (NSA) for esports. Although esports is not officially declared or recognized as a sport by the government, the NSA serves as the sanctioned representatives and custodians of their respective sports in Singapore. The NSA is designated by Sporting Singapore, a statutory board of the government’s Ministry of Culture, Communities and Youth.
The SGEA is also part of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), which sent representatives to the 2021 Southeast Asian Games for esports events. The Anti-Doping Rules of the Government of Singapore published by Anti-Doping Singapore (ADS) also apply as rules of the Singapore Esports Association.
Notable tournaments and leagues
Singapore is part of several tournament circuits and leagues that meet or hold the Asian leg. In recent years, some major Tier 1 tournaments have also been held inside Singapore, including the Free Fire World Series 2021, the One Esports Singapore Major and the Global Esports Games.
Notable Export Organization
Note that this is a non-exhaustive list and exclusions do not imply that an organization is not worth mentioning.
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National Association / Union
Note that inclusion in this list does not provide any acknowledgment from ESI of his authority, function or official capacity.
education initiative
There are many academy programs in Singapore that are available to students of all ages. International school XCL World Academy implements esports as part of its school curriculum in all its branches.
The Singapore Cybersports and Online Gaming Association (SCOGA) has formed an esports academy in partnership with the National Youth Council of Singapore to offer social service agency programs in partnership with schools. It also offers career workshops for young individuals who consider esports as a career option. SCOGA also offers adult workshops for parents who want to understand an esports career.
Additionally, there are specialist diploma programs offered by Republic Polytechnic and other educational institutions throughout Singapore. Esports’ presence in Singapore’s education system has grown significantly over the years due to youth programs and exposure to esports.
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This is an initial country profile and will be augmented with additional information over time. If you have any suggestions or feedback for this profile, please get in touch here [email protected]
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