Filipino Esports Athletes Gain Major Sponsor Ahead Of 2023 Southeast Asian Games

Corporate leagues of eSports teams have been gaining popularity, allowing friendly rivalries between employees from some of the large technology firms AFP / OLIVIER DOULIERY

KEY POINTS

The 2023 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) will feature esports as a medal event
The Philippines' esports athletes have gained a major sponsor ahead of the competition
Esports' rapid growth through this past decade may just propel it to an Olympic event

Esports has quickly grown into a big industry in recent years with the rise of streaming culture and recognition of pro gamers as athletes and has grown into a multi-million industry with hopes of being a medal event in the Olympics sometime soon.

The competition already has been given a trial of sorts on the international stage with the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), introducing six medal events for the following games: Dota 2, Starcraft II, Hearthstone, Tekken 7, Arena of Valor and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

As the 2023 version of the SEA Games quickly draws nearer, the Philippines earned big support from local property giant Double Dragon Corporation and its hospitality arm Hotel 101.

The company has recently signed an agreement with the Philippine Esports Organization (PeSO) to become the official hotel partner of the organization for 2023.

"PeSO has big plans to further uplift our esports industry and we intend to host great esports events in the Philippines. Having partners such as Hotel101 will definitely help bring that vision into reality," said PeSO executive director Marlon Marcelo in a press release acquired by the International Business Times.

The Philippine National Esports Team, dubbed "Sibol" (Filipino word for growth), will have the privilege of Hotel 101's accommodations ahead of the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia this May.

According to a report from Insider Intelligence, the esports ecosystem is "on track to surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time this year [a]nd revenue is expected to grow from here."

In 2013, prize money in esports was pegged at just $22.28 million and that figure exploded to $173.71 million in 2019 with the previous year's renowned Dota 2 tournament "The International" having a fund of $25 million according to Green Man Gaming.

The same report from Green Man Gaming also revealed that esports in 2019 alone had already surpassed that of football with the Fortnite World Cup drawing 2.3 million live viewers.

For the 2023 SEA Games, host nation Cambodia revealed that PUBG Mobile, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Valorant, Crossfire and AK2 will be the titles.

While the Olympics is yet to have esports as an official medal competition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be holding the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore from June 22 and 25.

Because of how popular the industry is across the globe, esports' growth is quickly becoming undeniable and its hopes of being an Olympic-recognized sport are definitely within reach.