With the global e-sports market expected to be worth over $3 billion by 2022, the global audience is growing rapidly. The sport has an audience of more than 300 million fans worldwide, but it doesn’t involve stadiums, ball, or grass pitches. In Africa, the gaming market is growing exponentially, showing tremendous potential.
From the ecosystem’s infrastructure to industry analysis and trends, here is what you need to know about the e-sports market in Africa.
The ecosystem’s infrastructure
The video gaming industry landscape is vast, and it’s easy to overlook a plethora of companies and technologies that make things possible. In Africa, various technologies and service providers are offering the infrastructures and utilities that are taking the e-sports industry to the next level. Betway is one of the companies making e-sports popular across the continent. Fans can place their wagers at www.betway.ug and enjoy great odds on different virtual sports.
While esports publishers have overlooked Africa for decades, the continent has a growing pool of gaming talent. The players say they’ll stop at nothing to play at international arenas alongside top European and Asian players. E-sports entrepreneurs in the region are also racing to build their leagues, teams, and tournaments.
The Africa eSports Championship (AEC)
AEC is one of the tournaments created with the sole aim of organizing World-class eSports across the continent. The tournament currently features over 24 countries, each running their national leagues in different games. Some of the major titles include Tekken 7 and FIFA 19.
The organizers of this year’s Africa eSports Championship, Kenya is one of the countries participating in this competition. The country is already running its National League, supported by Ludique Works in collaboration with What’s Good Studios, NRG Radio, K1 Klubhouse, and Pro Series Gaming.
This year’s grand finals of the competition will be held in Kenya, with 52 players from 24 countries battling it out for the top prize in Tekken and FIFA. The Kenyan qualifiers have already taken place, with the FIFA league having been played at the K1 clubhouse earlier in April. Tekken qualifiers were also held at the same venue in late April ahead of the big tournament.
The 2019 competitions will be held in August, with the league using a point-based system to crown the winners. According to Nathan, a leading official with the organizers Ludique Works, the competition is one it’s kind in the continent. The winners will not only take the prize money but also get exclusive bragging rights as the top eSports player in Africa.
Other countries in the region expected at the competition include Rwanda and Uganda, among other gaming powerhouses like South Africa. As such, the competition is expected to shake the e-sports industry in Africa.
Wrap up
While Africa has been overlooked in the e-sports industry for years, the market is rapidly growing into a multi-billion dollar industry. That has given rise to a tone of employment opportunities, though the necessary infrastructure is still lacking in most African countries.
