Europe Esports Market Outlook, 2028

Europe is one of the most lucrative markets for video game consumption in the world, ranking behind North America and Asia Pacific in terms of revenue share in global games market. Europe games market is majorly acquired by the major countries such Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy. With more than 77% penetration of smartphones in Europe, more than 30% population of Europe plays games online on their smartphones. The past decade has seen the popularity of esports skyrocket throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Audience numbers are rapidly rising, for esports enthusiasts and occasional viewers alike. And just like in the wider games market, this engagement is translating into increased revenues. While women’s engagement is growing on an enthusiast level, there are also more women entering the market as competitors. In 2019, for example, an all-female pro League of Legends team competed in the LCL, the highest level of professional League of Legends competition in Russia. The most frequent consumers of esports are the much sought-after Millennials and Generation Z.

According to the research report, Europe Esport Market Outlook, 2028 the market is anticipated to attain market size of USD 865.26 Million by 2028. The thriving culture of playing online video games among the younger population is estimated to propel the growth of the esports market in this region. In addition, the monetization of the esports industry is motivating gamers to become full-time professionals just like any other traditional sportsperson. Additionally, the increase in the number of esports tournaments would create more opportunities for the gamers to monetize their skills, which would accelerate the regional market growth. Europe has been one of the most important regions in the development of the esports industry. Some of the first organizations that made esports popular, especially in the West, originate from Europe. Most notable is ESL, arguably the world’s largest esports organization, which has its roots in Germany. The company has helped build and shape esports from small community events to record-breaking events, including the Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice and ESL One in Cologne. And even now, Europe is a key region for the esports industry. It is expected that Europe will host more than 200 Million esports viewers by the upcoming timeframe. Let alone in United Kingdom, there are more than 2000 gaming firms ranging from micro-studios that are developing games for the escalating mobile market, to internationally respected independent studios and international publishers. More than 60% of all registered gaming companies in Europe are registered in the last five years, boosted by the Smartphone revolution.

According to the report, the market is segmented into various revenue streams including sponsorship, media rights, merchandise & tickets, publisher fees, digital and streaming. Among them, sponsorship segment leads the market with more than 62% market share in 2022 whereas streaming segment is growing at a faster CAGR compared to other segments. YouTube is by far the most popular game streaming platform among mobile gamers across Europe region. Among those viewers, over 90% watch more than once a week on YouTube. Meanwhile, rivals - including Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok - each get 50-60% of viewers watching more than once a week. According to the data obtained by newzoo, Europe is a very different region from other large markets such as North America or China, as it represents more countries and cultures than these two regions. Across the overall region, various sectors encounters for different legacy such as western Europe (online population - 240 Million & Esports enthusiasts - 13 Million), northern Europe (online population - 30 Million & Esports enthusiasts - 1.5 Million), southern Europe (online population - 98 Million & Esports enthusiasts - 8 Million), and eastern Europe (online population - 232 Million & Esports enthusiasts - 11 Million).

The involvement of sports clubs and personalities, leagues, and agencies will significantly accelerate the development of the global esports industry and help local esports scenes grow. Traditional sports clubs and leagues bring with them an established local fan base, along with a well-known and respected brand. By leveraging this, they can ensure their esports initiatives are instantly perceived as top-level competitions. Agencies bring their vast experience in sports marketing to the space, telling stories around the teams and players that suit their client base of sponsor brands. Furthermore, the inclusion of well-known sports teams gives a boost to the awareness and acceptance of esports as a legitimate form of mainstream entertainment. It will also give a boost to esports activities around sports games such as Madden and FIFA, as a significant share of esports initiatives are built around these franchises. Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy and Russia are assessed for the Europe eSports market growth analysis. Germany is one of the fastest-growing eSports markets globally. Also, video games are increasingly popular in Germany. As per the German Games Industry Association, more than 40 Million men and women play video games.

Traditional sports clubs are becoming increasingly involved in the esports market. FC Shalke 04, Manchester City, PSG, AS Roma and several Bundesliga clubs have competitive esport teams for a variety of games (FIFA, LoL, Rocket League, and Dota 2.) This can transfer audiences from traditional sports to esports. The European esports market is experiencing an influx of non-endemic brands engaging as sponsors and partners: Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Volvic and TAG Heuer are just some examples. There were over 120 collabs (paywall) between esports brands and non-endemic sponsors, many of them in Europe including BMW x Five Esports Teams, Tennis Clash x Gucci and Chiefs Esports x L'Oreal. Lamborghini, for instance, hosted an esports tournament, allowing gamers worldwide to drive the luxury car brand’s Essenza SVC12 sports car, while Pizza Hut is hosting tournaments as it breaks into the European market. Fashion brands are also outfitting esports teams: PUMA partnered with the Manchester City esports team, ASOS signed a deal with esports brand Fnatic, and Gucci collaborated with Fnatic to create a limited edition watch, which cost £1,150 each - and sold out in less than 48 hours. Beauty brands, too, have been strengthening their ties to the esports community, including Charlotte Tilbury, who held a beauty tutorial and masterclass with pro makeup artists on Twitch during the Girlgamer women’s esports festival, while NYX Professional Makeup recently became the official beauty partner of esports organizations Dignitas - marking the first time a global cosmetics brand has collaborated with esports teams. Clearly, many brands believe esports are the next frontier for marketing in Western Europe.

The European Parliament has voted to encourage investment and support growth of professional talent in the Esports community and gaming industry as a whole. A long-term plan has been suggested to ensure the growth of the gaming and Esports industries, as well as to preserve culturally significant video games. An overwhelming majority of members in the European Parliament have expressed interest in going ahead with this European video game strategy with the intention of supporting everyone involved with Esports and gaming, including developers, Esports initiatives, and players themselves. For instance, in 2018 the Riot Games announced the European Championship (known as LEC) for League of Legends. This allows for more stability for investors, fans, media deals, platform deals. Also, the Dutch esports superpower boasts representation in 19 different eSports and has won more than USD 39 Million by competing in about 2,300 esports competitions. The market is further segmented into four device types including mobile, PC, gaming device and others. Among them, mobile segment is leading the market in 2022 whereas PC and gaming device are anticipated to acquire around 54% by 2028.

As for the other countries, the Netherlands has a long history with esports seeing the early rise of teams such as Team Liquid, who earlier this year opened a new facility. Amsterdam is the central nexus for the country’s gaming scene. Gaming has a broad appeal, and many entities are looking at the space with interest. One example is the Dutch Department of Defence’s CS:GO team - which admittedly got off to a rocky start in its early competitive outings. One of the popular leagues is the eDivisie, an esports version of the country’s premier football division. Popular esports titles include FIFA, League of Legends, Call of Duty and Counterstrike. The interest in esports extends beyond advertisement and team-sponsoring to early signs of M&A and broader investments. From around 747 Million population in Europe, nearly 663 Million population is considered to utilize online platforms. Among them, 450 Million population is aware about the esports and their characteristics. As per the obtained data, nearly 172 Million population is encountered to be live streaming audience. Also, close to 31.6 Million population is esports enthusiasts across the region.

Publisher & Esports Game Title in Europe

Blizzard Entertainment (Overwatch), Activision (Call of Duty), Riot Games (League of Legends & Valorant), Electronic Arts (Apex Legends), UbiSoft (Rainbowsix Siege), Capcom (Street Fighter League), Psyomix (Rocket League), Valve Corporation (Counter Strike & Dota 2) and Nintendo (Super Smash Bros).

Leading Esport Teams in Europe

Team Vitality (France), Natus Vincere, G2 Esports (Germany), Astralis (Denmark), Fnatic (UK), Guild Esports, Virtus.pro, Gambit Esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, SK Gaming, BIG CLAN, LoL Sports, rogue esports, exceL Esports, Alliance and Misfits Premier.

Tournaments & Leagues in Europe

Upcoming events, Europe

CCT West Europe Series #1: Closed Qualifier, CCT North Europe Series #3, RLCS 2022-23 - Winter: Europe Regional 1 - Winter Open, IEM Brazil 2023 Europe Open Qualifier 1, RUR Frost Cup 2023, ESEA Cash Cup: Europe - Winter 2023 #2, OlyBet Tournament #1, Six Invitational 2023 - Europe: Closed Qualifier, IEM Brazil 2023 Europe Open Qualifier 2, DPC 2022/2023 Winter Tour 1: WEU Division II (Lower)

On-going events, Europe

CCT North Europe, CCT Central Europe, CCT South Europe, BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023, ESL Challenger League Season 44, Esport Tour 2022 Finals, LAN Sweet LAN 2022, DPC 2022/2023 Winter Tour 1: WEU Division 1, Thunderpick Bitcoin Series 2, ESL Challenger League Season 44: Europe, VALORANT Challengers Northern Europe: Polaris Split 1, VALORANT Challengers East: Surge Split 1, European Pro League Season 6, European Pro League Season 5, A1 Gaming League 2023, OMEN WGR European Challenge 2023, VALORANT Challengers 2023 Italy: Rinascimento Split 1, Dust2.dk Ligaen Season 22

Past events, Europe

Subway Suberior League, RLCS 2022-23 - Winter: Europe Regional 1 - Winter Open: Closed Qualifier, RLCS 2022-23 - Winter: Europe Regional 1 - Winter Open: Open Qualifier, ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference Europe, eSM League Season 2, Atlantic x Esportal #2, ESL Impact Winter 2023 Cash Cup 1 Europe, ESEA Winter 2023 Cash Cup 1 Europe, HLTV Award Show 2022, ESEA Cash Cup: Europe - Winter 2023 #1, SDTV Invitational Series #3, OMEN WGR Challenge 2023: Closed Qualifier, counterstrike, Prize Pool: 2 spots in WGR Challenge '23, LEC Season Kickoff 2023, Season Kickoff 2023, ROG Winter Cup 2022

National Associations / Federations in Europe

European Esports Federation, Albanian e-sports association (Albania), Armenian esports federation (Armenia), Esports association austria (Austria), Azerbaijan esports federation (Azerbaijan), Belarusian esports federation (Belarus), Belgian esports federation (Belgium), E-sport association in bosnia and herzegovina (Bosnia and herzegovina), Croatian esports federation (Croatia), Czech esports association (Czech republic), Esport danmark (Denmark), Estonian esport federation (Estonia), Finnish esports federation (Finland), French federation of videogames (France), Georgia computer sports federation (Georgia), Esbd (esport - bund deutschland e.v) (Germany)

Major Sponsor Industries in Europe

Athletic & Sportswear (Adidas, Hummel), Food & Beverages (Red Bull, Domino’s, Kitkat), Automotive Manufacturer (BMW, Kia, Mercedes-Benz), Gaming Hardware & Peripherals (Razer, Logitech, Republic of Gamers), Cryptocurrency (crypto.com, Bybit), Payment Services (MasterCard), Betting (betway, Letou, Parimatch), Music (warner music group, Spotify)

Esport Start-ups in Europe

Geeiq, Blaze, TinkerList.tv, First International Play Money Exchange, Mindfuture, inSTREAMLY, Zar, Pandascore, Legendary Play, Fnatic, Wehype, TwogNation, Inplay Labs, Oddsgate, Aiming.Pro, GeeGee, EMSpyre Enterprise, Infront X, Emotai, Leet9

Major Companies present in the market:

Activision Blizzard Inc, Intel Corporation, NVIDIA Corporation, Electronic Arts Inc, Wargaming Public, Rovio Entertainment, alphabet Inc (YouTube), Twitch Interactive, Inc., Facebook, Inc, Beyond The Summit, Riot Games, Inc, Sony Group Corporation, HTC Corporation, Gameloft SE, Gfinity plc, Nintendo, FACEIT.

Considered in this report

• Geography: Europe
• Historic year: 2017
• Base year: 2022
• Estimated year: 2023
• Forecast year: 2028

Aspects covered in this report

• Europe esport market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Country-wise esport market analysis
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

Countries covered in the report:

• Germany
• United Kingdom
• France
• Spain
• Italy
• Russia

By Revenue Streams:

• Sponsorship
• Media Rights
• Merchandise & Tickets
• Publisher Fees
• Digital
• Streaming

By Device Type:

• Mobile (Smartphone, Tablet)
• PC (Laptop, Desktop)
• Gaming Device (Console, Handheld Devices)
• Other (VR, Smart TV, etc.)

By Game Type:

• Shooter (First-person shooter, Third-person shooter)
• Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
• Real-time Strategy (RTS)
• Fighting
• Other (Role-playing, Racing, Simulators, Sports, Others)

Intended audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the esport industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.