Retired professional Fortnite player Morgan ‘RepulseGod’ Bamford has been banned from Epic’s official Fortnite competitions after he was caught cheating during the Fortnite Championship Series (FNCS) in 2023.

The announcement on the official Fortnite Competitive X (formerly Twitter) account from February 17th further revealed that any prize money unfairly earned by RepulseGod was forfeited and donated to charity.

Australian player RepulseGod competed in Fortnite tournaments between 2019 and 2022, winning several iterations of Trio and Duo Cups in the Oceania region. In 2020, his squad placed second at the FNCS Invitational – Grand Finals: Oceania.

The FNCS is the most prestigious competition within Fortnite’s esports ecosystem, with majors in multiple regions and culminating in the annual Global Championship. The first major of this year’s FNCS season recently concluded across all of the circuit’s regions, providing the first qualifications for the 2025 Global Championship in Lyon, France.

During the seventh season in 2023, RepulseGod officially competed in the FNCS Major 3 of their region alongside their duo, Jace. The two eventually won the Grand Finals, securing a spot in the $4m (~£3.2m) Global Championship in October 2023. However, the duo was disqualified just one day before the Championship kick-off.

It had been confirmed that RepulseGod had lent his Fortnite account to another player and well-known cheater, Forbes, to claim the regional trophy and qualify for the international Championship.

Fortnite developer Epic successfully took legal action against RepulseGod’s deceptive behaviour, resulting in a life-long ban as well as the return of their prize money more than one year later.

Epic’s announcement also linked to an official statement from RepulseGodm published on their YouTube channel. In the video, the player admits to sharing their account with a cheater and apologises for their actions.

He said: “Cheating in tournaments ruins the fun for the players who earned their spot in tournaments and I apologise to the Fortnite community for my actions. I won’t ever cheat in Fortnite again.”

Epic’s reaction to the cheating incident was met with an overall positive response from the Fortnite community and notable esports professionals. The decision to make RepulseGod share a video after getting banned was seen as a good thing for the esports scene.

Esports reporter Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau commented via X: “If every game developer sued and publicly shamed their cheaters we could get this industry cleaned up in six months.”

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO AMC) have launched the International Games and Esports Tribunal (IGET).

The not-for-profit dispute resolution body aims to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services for stakeholders in the esports and gaming industries.

According to a press release, IGET was designed to effectively accommodate the unique needs of the fast-paced, global esports and gaming industries. The platform addresses a broad range of disputes, including integrity-related matters, commercial disputes, intellectual property (IP) conflicts and contractual disagreements.

ESIC noted that a panel of specialised arbitrators and mediators with an understanding of the industries’ nuances and challenges will be used to resolve disputes swiftly and across the globe, regardless of jurisdiction.

In addition to the tribunal, a series of public webinar information sessions will soon be made available. The webinars will inform stakeholders about IGET’s dispute resolution offerings, the steps involved in bringing a matter to the tribunal as well as how to incorporate the IGET model clause into agreements.

Moreover, attendees will be able to ask questions directly from IGET representatives. Further information on the webinars will be published on the tribunal’s website.

Following the creation of the tribunal, ESIC will immediately transition the functions of its Independent Appeals Panel to IGET, making it the exclusive jurisdiction for all ESIC appeals.

“The launch of IGET is a significant and important milestone for the global video games and esports industries,” said ESIC’s CEO, Stephen Hanna.

“By combining ESIC’s expertise in maintaining integrity with WIPO’s authority in intellectual property dispute resolution, this initiative will ensure that disputes are handled professionally and swiftly, maintaining the integrity that underpins these industries’ growth and credibility.”

Founded in 2018, ESIC aims to protect youth, promote industry investment and safeguard the sporting integrity of esports by addressing integrity breaches in the industry. This notably includes cheating and match-fixing. To achieve its goals, the commission has partnered with various relevant stakeholders, such as game publishers, tournament organisers, sports governing bodies and bookmakers.

Last year, ESIC launched its esports integrity education platform, FairPlay Academy. The hub provides educational programmes to players, coaches, organisers and fans.

WIPO is a self-funding agency of the United Nations that serves as the global forum for IP services, policy, information and cooperation.

Into The Breach (ITB) has begun to wind down all of its operations after it was revealed that its CEO, Sam ‘SlayTheMinotaur’ Cook, had taken funds from the esports organisation for personal use.

In yesterday’s announcement on X (formerly Twitter), ITB revealed that it found itself in an ‘unsustainable position’ after discovering that ‘an individual entrusted with all financial and monetary decisions was embezzling funds’.

Although ITB did not explicitly share the individual behind the embezzlement claim, Cook later admitted to being responsible for the organisation’s shutdown via a statement on his personal X account.

“ITB goes under, people lose employment, salaries go unpaid, money lost, hate created – all my fault and responsibility,” Cook said.

“There’ll be several legal consequences to this, all of which I’ll accept and face. People will be made as whole as possible with what funds are available. This’ll be managed outside my influence.”

Founded in 2021, UK esports organisation Into The Breach competed in games such as Counter-Strike 2, Halo, Rainbow Six: Siege and Dota2. Among ITB’s biggest competitive achievements was its qualification to the BLAST.tv Paris Major in 2023.

Last year, the company secured a naming rights deal with online crypto casino Shuffle.com, and was rebranded into ITB.Shuffle Esports.

As a consequence of yesterday’s news, ITB was removed from the UK Esports Team Committee.

Cook further referred to alcoholism and self-destructive habits as the reasons for the mismanagement of ITB funds: “Unfortunately, I, the CEO, was acting as two people – one trying to match their efforts and another, a destructive, alcoholic narcissist hellbent on self-immolation.”

Since Cook’s and ITB’s statements, numerous individuals involved with the organisation and the overall esports community have spoken about the situation on social media.

ITB’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Sebastian Lubczyk, highlighted the lost future potential of the company: “I wanted to write a statement, but I have no words. Three years of work is gone. What hurts the most is that at this rate of growth, revenue, etc. We could have been one of the top organizations in 2-3 years. I’m disappointed in the man I trusted with all my heart.”

Moreover, on-air talent and a former coach of ITB’s Dota2 roster, Robson ‘TeaGuvnor’ Merritt, shared his perspective on the shutdown: “As of today, ITB has let go of its Dota team. We were not aware of the financial issues ITB had with its other teams. Had we been, we would have found another organisation…”

Into The Breached had only announced its re-entry into Dota 2 following a four-year absence in January 2025.

Outside of its Dota roster, several individuals involved with ITB’s other teams have accused the company and its CEO of being owed prize money and payments.

“Owed 9500 USD from events + multiple missed salaries”, said professional Halo player, Eljas ‘WuTum’ Veirto.

Cook was also accused of mismanaging the funds earned through the Legends Sticker Capsule during ITB’s Paris Major 2023 run. In response, the former CEO released a second statement, claiming that he had paid the players appropriately.

However, Karol ‘rallen’ Rodowicz, as well as Thomas ‘Thomas’ Utting from the 2023 roster, publically disputed Cook’s claims.

“Stop, you owe me salaries from almost half of the year and sticker money, you know what did you sign, everyone knows how much we made money for you and how were you delaying all payments…,” replied Rodowicz to Cook’s X post.

Blaine ‘Blainey’ Uknighted, who had worked for ITB as an Esports Team Manager, commented in support of those who are yet to be paid: “I will do my best to work with the appropriate stakeholders to push for everything owed to be paid out, although their is no guarantees this will be possible. To the fans of ITB Rainbow Six: Siege and ITB Halo. I am sorry.”

As esports has been shaken by several mismanagement scandals in the recent past, some voices within the field expressed disappointment and frustration in light of the ITB news.

“Another case of prize money not getting to the players that earned it. How many times is this going to happen in esports until something changes,” said Rainbow Six on-air talent Ollie Hatton.

Another significant repercussion of the ITB news is the shutdown of UK grassroots esports organisation The Goose House (TGH). The company ran grassroots tournaments and community events and became first known for its activities in the VALORANT scene.

TGH was partially acquired by ITB in October 2023, becoming a co-owner of THG alongside existing co-owners David ‘dave’ Taylor and ‘dËk’.

ITB took various steps to restructure and streamline TGH after the acquisition, however, following the announcement Taylor and Dek revealed the end of all of TGH’s operations yesterday.

In the post on TGH’s X account, the co-owners explained that the TGH Discord server would remain active as other aspects of the organisation had strayed from its initial course.

“What was meant to be a fun place to hang out and play games soon became a second job for many of us, ultimately draining the joy from its original purpose. […] We turned a blind eye when it became clear we were being taken advantage of from every possible angle imaginable. And ultimately, we have been let down too much to want to continue.”

Furthermore, Dave and Dek thanked the TGH team and community.

VALORANT and League of Legends developer Riot Games will officially allow its partnered esports teams to have betting sponsorships from 2025 onwards.

According to Riot Games’ COO of Esports, Whalen Rozelle, the company told partnered League of Legends esports and VCT teams in the Americas and EMEA of the decision a few weeks ago. It was also noted that betting brands will not be shown on official Riot broadcasts.

The news first surfaced via esports personality MonteCristo last week with Rozelle’s announcement confirming the development.

This is a major change from Riot Games’ previous stance on betting. The company has notably been against the involvement of betting brands in its esports competitions, and its partner teams were not allowed to have betting sponsors for its League of Legends and VALORANT rosters.

From 2025 onwards, however, esports organisations that are partners in the LEC, LTA, VCT Americas and VCT EMEA will be able to partner with betting companies. Nevertheless, organisations are not allowed to promote those partnerships through Riot’s broadcasts.

According to Rozelle, “the decision was not made lightly” and “is a result of careful planning and study to settle on a move that will unlock new revenue opportunities for teams.”

Riot Games’ channels will remain betting-free for the foreseeable future, with “no betting brands to appear on broadcasts, socials or jerseys.”

The second rule, as announced by Rozelle, is that Riot Games will vet all potential partners to meet the company’s standards. He noted: “All sports books partnering with teams will need to meet local regulatory and licensing requirements and match Riot requirements around content and promotion for this category.”

For teams, this means that, hypothetically, a team competing in the LEC can sign an agreement with a betting brand to support its League of Legends team, but is not allowed to have the partnership featured on a jersey. While reactions from most teams are yet to be heard, Adam Adamou, the CEO of OverActive Media, noted that Movistar KOI will not pursue betting partnerships.

In addition, Rozelle mentioned that Riot Games will evaluate opportunities to expand or refine its approach in the future, depending on how the initial partnerships go. In the 2024 LEC season, Riot Games upped a the minimum player age from 17 to 18 in order for teams “explore additional revenue opportunities.”

The FIA, motorsport’s global governing body, has approved the creation of an esports regulatory framework at its latest FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting.

The first-of-its-kind framework, known as the FIA Esports Code, will be used to regulate sim racing competitions as well as provide legal frameworks for national events to take place.

According to a release, the creation of the FIA Esports Code is the first framework focused on sim racing to be created by a sporting federation. The FIA noted that ‘fundamental elements’ from the International Sporting Code (ISC) have been adapted to make sense within the world of virtual motorsport.

The creation of the framework forms part of the FIA’s Vision 2030 initiative comprising of five key areas that include uniting the motorsport community and ensuring sustainability within all forms of activities sanctioned by the Federation. More details on the initiative are expected to be revealed in 2025.

Throughout 2024, the FIA has expanded its presence within esports and the sim racing sectors. In May, it collaborated with sim racing platform iRacing to launch the F4 Esports Global Championship which features a licensed recreation of a FIA Formula 4 car alongside drivers competing for a share of a $25,000 (~£19,588) prize pool.

In October, the Federation began a process to identify game developers for a partnership relating to the inaugural Olympic Esports Games. The goal is to create or adapt a sim racing title to be used at the event taking place in Saudi Arabia next year. Details on any selected developers haven’t been revealed.

Interest in sim racing exploded in 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic bringing all real-world motorsport to a halt. With real-world events taking place regularly once again, seeing the FIA creating frameworks to regulate esports events is a significant step to ensure consistency is maintained by sim racing organisers and drivers competing.

At its core, competition is the most important part of the esports ecosystem. Across a vast number of games, there are tournaments that range from grassroots to international events.

The goal of these events is to find out who the best players are in their discipline, whilst also engaging with the game’s fans and, from a business perspective, marketing the title as a result. 

However, one area that has always fascinated fans when it comes to events, particularly larger esports competitions, is the topic of prize pools. In some cases, there are also correlations made by the community between the size of the prize pool and the quality of the event. Million-dollar events garner media attention, often having notable sponsors and attracting major organisations to compete.

As 2024 comes to a close, most game publishers and tournament organisers have already unveiled their plans for 2025.

PGL Wallachia (Dota 2) will have three seasons in 2025, each with a $1m prize pool. Meanwhile, the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) announced that its 2025 season will have a $5m prize pool. Fortnite, Halo, YaLLa Compass (Counter-Strike) and many others have showcased how much money can be won by players next year. 

Announcing big prize pools has become a major part of the marketing push for many tournament organisers. Multi-title esports event, the Esports World Cup, heavily promoted its $60m total prize pool, split across 21 games and its overall club championship. 

Whether it’s fair or not, prize pools are also used by the esports community as an indicator of an esports ecosystem’s health. When prize pools are increased, there is more optimism. When the prize pool is lowered or delayed there are concerns over the esports ecosystem’s health — hence the emergence of payment solutions like Payment Labs.

Prize money in the industry fluctuates heavily game-by-game, with each title operating its competitive calendar in completely different ways. There are also countless grassroots events within esports that take place online and in-person which have minor prize pools that consist of money or sometimes other incentives.  

One of the most touted esports events that is synonymous with its prize pool is Dota 2’s The International (TI). At its peak, the event generated a record-breaking $40m prize pool in 2021, in large part due to huge funding from in-game item sales to fans. Dota 2’s biggest event of the year is largely crowd-funded, with every TI starting with a base $1.6m prize pool. 

However, TI’s prize pool dropped to just $2.8m in 2023 as a result of changes of less interest from fans in the in-game items Valve offered — though Dota 2 still tops the charts for the highest overall esports title prize pot.

On a positive note, the Counter-Strike scene has largely remained the same when it comes to prize pools from 2023 to 2024. So far, Counter-Strike 2 has generated $19m in prize money and there are still events such as the Shanghai Major that have yet to be accounted for.

According to Esports Charts, the top five most lucrative titles in 2024 so far are Dota 2 ($21m), Honor of Kings ($20m), Counter-Strike ($19m), PUBG Mobile ($16m) and Fortnite ($12m).

Another crucial topic that has risen in discussion is the esports prize payment problem, whereby teams and players are experiencing delays when it comes to receiving prize money. This in itself puts a stain on the reputation of such a growing industry, hence why companies, such as Payment Labs, are looking to solve this issue. 

It’s abundantly obvious that there is still a lot of prize money circulating across the esports ecosystem. However, when these payments aren’t delivered on time, it causes significant damage to a tournament operator’s reputation. 

Unfortunately, payment delays for prize pools in esports are still an ongoing issue. Some notable examples for payment delays in recent years include Galaxy Racer’s 2023 HER Galaxy event, Nerd Street’s VALORANT competitions in 2022, and Women’s Car Ball fiasco. There are also many other cases of grassroots event organisers being unable to pay staff and contractors alongside players.

Han Park, the CEO of global payments platform Payment Labs, highlighted three pain points when breaking down the esports prize pool payment problem – the trust issue, the process issue and a lack of education. 

Park explained that the trust issue often stems from the net terms on payments in business practices related to running events or receiving funding from publishers and sponsors. “While the announced prize money is often secured and guaranteed, the business process of paying on net terms on invoices for prize money may be months past the competition itself which makes it look like a delay on payments.”

These net terms could be delivered “net 60 days, net 90 days, some are even net 180 days, which is half a year. The event is already done, within the time frame,” Park stated.

The issue is that these proceeds provided by sponsors or publishers, are in some cases used to fund the cost of the event as well as the prize pool. This means that it’s vital for all parties involved to deliver their net terms on time, with complications causing delays that could affect the event as a whole and its prize pool. To ensure that the trust factor between tournament organisers and competitors remains strong, Payment Labs uses a system in which a specific account is created between Payment Labs and the tournament organiser specifically for prize pools.

Park added: “We guarantee that as long as our customer, which is usually the publisher or tournament organiser, announces that prize money we expect them to fund that account. So our payment flow starts with them funding this account specifically for prize money.”

The second issue is the complicated process of paying out players. “You’re paying a lot of individuals in one batch to try to get all the prize money out…The process itself for each of the individuals may be challenging,” said Park.

Park highlighted that this issue is more of a problem when competitions feature new players, as regular returning names are already a part of the tournament’s payment process. 

“It’s all the new winners as new games come out, or there’s new superstars rising that come from the amateur scene, they’re getting paid for the first time, and that’s where a lot of the work is. The process itself takes time.”

The third point that Park highlighted is that payee education is also an important part in ensuring payment transactions are smooth. There is an onus on competitors to educate themselves on the steps needed to get paid by different entities in esports, including what information is needed by the tournament organiser and the player being aware of their country’s tax laws when it comes to prize winnings.

The education factor also applies to tournament organisers, which also have to take into account the legalities of paying out players, oftentimes which are based across the world. Park particularly noted grassroots esports scenes as a pain point when it comes to education about payments. 

“They [grassroots organisations] know how to run the competitions, but they don’t understand the business and administrative side of doing these types of events. It’s more complicated than they think. They have to put all the legal compliance and financial controls in to do it properly.”

Payment Labs aims to make esports payments simple, for players and tournament organisers. Alongside its prize pool account system, the company looks to streamline the payments process by also handling player transactions. According to Park, the company’s system uses the required information from registered players to pass them through compliance in order to pay them quickly. Since the company specialises in the esports sector, it is also equipped to handle legal hurdles that can occur when dealing with prize money from esports competitions. 

“We know esports is challenging for a lot of financial institutions because they don’t know it,” concluded Park.

“Because we’re a fintech company and we work with multitudes of financial partners, we have passed their compliance and we’ve fought the battle for esports already. We understand it. We do it on behalf of all our customers, so our customers don’t have to fight that battle each time.”

For a full conversation discussing esports’ payment dilemma check out Esports Insider’s latest episode of The Industry with Payment Labs’ CEO Han Park.   

Game publisher Riot Games has launched a new mechanism to resolve legal disputes arising across its esports ecosystems in the EMEA region.

The new Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) will employ independent arbitrators to resolve contractual and financial disputes between players, coaches and teams in Riot Games’ Tier 1 and Tier 2 esports leagues.

The mechanism, which is officially live and available for use as of today (November 7th), only applies to stakeholders in the publisher’s official Tier 1 and Tier 2 leagues in League of Legends and VALORANT. The mechanism covers the EMEA region only, though Riot Games indicated it would like to expand to other regions in the future if it sees success.

The system will see Munich-based law firm Martens Rechtsanwälte, which specialises in dispute resolution, act as the Secretariat for the DRM. The law firm will administer the system as well as find and appoint an independent arbitrator to each dispute.

Examples of issues that might be brought through the DRM include disputes over unpaid prize money, salaries, transfer fees and bonuses. It is important to note that the mechanism is only for disputes with and between players, coaches and teams, not disputes with Riot Games itself. However, Riot Games confirmed that it would respect all decisions made through the DRM.

In a press conference at Worlds 2024 detailing the new system, Riot Games’ Head of EMEA Esports, Alberto Guerrero, said that many legal disputes arise in its esports scenes between teams and talent — but it is legally difficult for Riot Games to deal with those incidents. Guerrero highlighted that this solution also allows the publisher to remain neutral.

The Dispute Resolution Mechanism is voluntary, so parties are free to decide whether they want to resolve their dispute through this mechanism, or through other means such as local courts. Riot Games has already been working with teams, agents and players directly to promote the incorporation of the DRM into player contracts.

David Menz, a sports lawyer for Martens Rechtsanwälte, explained during the press conference that the system would by default involve one round of written submissions, and no hearing. A decision would then be made by the sole arbitrator ‘without reasons’, meaning parties involved only see the decision and not a justification.

Menz said these decisions were taken on purpose specifically to keep the costs of using the Dispute Resolution Mechanism down.

Players and teams will have to pay to take up a dispute through the DRM. A Handling Fee of between €500 – €4,000 (~£415 – £3,335) will be paid by the claimant, subject to the value of the dispute. This covers the admin costs of the DRM.

In addition, an Arbitrator’s Fee of €1,000 – €5,000 (~£835 – £4,170) again dependent on claim value, will be paid in equal shares by the claimant and the respondent, to cover the costs of the arbitrator.

While bringing a dispute through the DRM can cost thousands of euros, Menz argued this system is significantly cheaper than bringing a legal case through a country’s national court system — especially due to the international nature of esports.

In order to ease the cost burden, Riot Games has launched a Legal Aid Fund, which will distribute funds to those with insufficient financial means to use the system. Riot Games did not disclose the size of the Legal Aid Fund. The company noted that there are eligibility criteria for applying and that the fund would stop providing assistance once it ran out each year.

Valérie Horyna, EMEA Esports Rules and Compliance Manager at Riot Games, claimed in the press conference that the Dispute Resolution Mechanism was “setting a new standard for esports” that would build trust and provide contractual stability for stakeholders.

“Esports continues to evolve and we believe maintaining contractual stability and integrity is becoming more important,” Horyna said later in a press release. “Solving contractual disputes has historically been very complex, especially in EMEA, which has different legal processes across many countries. We’re seeking to help solve these issues, providing an easy-to-access platform for our stakeholders.”

British book publisher Routledge has published an academic book on esports, called the Routledge Handbook of Esports.

According to Routledge, the handbook features more than 760 pages of analysis and details about the esports industry and has input from more than 90 ‘esports specialists and academics.’

Routledge is one of the world’s premier publishers of academic work, founded in 1851. The company specialises in academic books, journals and other publications from different fields. The company releases more than 5,000 new books each year. The Handbook of Esports is the first of its kind for esports, and forms part of a wider series of Routledge Handbooks about various disciplines.

The book itself, which released last month, has a total of 764 pages and features a total of 10 key themes. The themes touch on an introduction to esports, esports research, esports players, esports business and management, esports media and communication, esports education, critical concerns in esports, global esports cultures, esports future directions and definitions of key esports terms.

Discussing why the Handbook of Esports was created, Dr. Seth Jenny, Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Science at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, told Esports Insider:

“Routledge approached me in May 2022 to act as Senior Editor of the project and propose a Handbook of Esports. I assembled a well-respected, global, and diverse associate editorial team. I created a survey to collect authorship interest and we presented our ideas to the Esports Research Network Conference in November 2022 at Jönköping University, Sweden, while also attaining more authorship and peer reviewer interest.  

“Ultimately, it was a global effort from the awesome esports community!”

The book aims to be an all-encompassing guide to the esports industry and has been written by 93 authors ranging from academics to esports industry insiders and specialists. The book is a part of the Routledge Handbook series, which includes a large number of books from different fields, such as the Handbook of Greek Mythology or the Handbook of Language, among others.

Jenny added: “The Routledge Handbook of Esports is a prestige reference work that offers the world’s first holistic overview of esports with related sub-areas. It is difficult to express the significance of this handbook, the void it fills, the global effort it took to complete, and the vast impact it is hoped it will have on worldwide esports discourse.

According to Routledge’s website, the handbook is available to purchase in hardback and as an eBook.

(Disclaimer: A member of the Esports Insider team participated in the esports handbook as a voluntary peer reviewer.)

UPDATE 25/10/24: Esports Insider has added a comment from Dr. Seth Jenny detailing more information about the handbook.

The Malaysian government has announced a substantial investment into the country’s esports ecosystem, allocating RM20m (£3.58m) to the development of the industry.

The injection of funds into the esports industry — under the Malaysia Madani Budget 2025 — is part of a broader effort to develop sports as a whole in the country, according to information from Malaysian national news agency Bernama.

In total, RM230m (£41.1m) will be allocated from the Malaysia Madani Budget 2025 for the development of sports. As a part of Malaysia’s sports development, the country’s athletes are expected to receive more in terms of support than before, which will likely translate to esports players as well.

The country’s Department of Finance has allocated around £3.5m to primarily help expand the country’s local esports scene, including the development of infrastructure, talent development, the grassroots ecosystem and support of esports careers.

The esports budget is also expected to relate to support for coaches, desk hosts and other staff in esports. In addition, a national esports centre is to be created in the future, allowing players and teams to organise bootcamps and events as well as access production facilities.

Malaysia is an important player in SEA esports, with a notable number of teams and players in several popular games in the region, such as PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Free Fire. The country’s MLBB league, MPL Malaysia, had more than 630,000 peak viewers in its last season. The country was also the host of the PUBG Global Series LAN in 2023 with this year’s PUBG Global Championship and M6 World Championship.

The decision was supported by the Malaysian Olympic Committee.

Despite being a relatively small country with a population of roughly 10m, Portugal has slowly shown signs of becoming a potential esports hub in Europe — akin to the likes of France and Spain. 

The esports market in Portugal is projected to reach a revenue of €16.8m (~£14.3m) in 2024, according to Statista. It is expected to exhibit an annual growth rate of 6.54% (CAGR 2024-2028), resulting in a projected market volume of €21.7m (~£18.5m) by 2028.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that organisations and stakeholders have begun to emerge and develop in the country as its reputation and positioning in the global industry increases. BLAST Counter-Strike tournaments have graced the country and local teams, such as SAW, are competing on international stages. Step by step, the esports industry’s eyes are looking at Portugal, and in tandem, there is more movement to bolster the ecosystem both locally and nationally.  

Ahead of ESI Events’ own expansion into Portugal through its international, flagship event, ESI Lisbon, from September 23rd to 25th, let’s dive into the nation’s esports ecosystem.

Portugal’s esports ecosystem consists of a myriad of stakeholders, varying in size and specialisation. For instance, Portuguese esports organisation SAW has been making waves in the international Counter-Strike scene since a successful 2024 BLAST Premier Spring season and Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne 2024 run. 

Similar to a lot of European countries, Counter-Strike is the flagship esports title in Portugal. According to Esportsearnings, CS:GO accounts for nearly $1m (~£852,000) of the combined $4.95m (~£3.81m) in prize money awarded to Portuguese athletes. Sports simulation games make up another sizable chunk of the market fuelled by local sports and esports entities creating rosters in EA Sports FC, NBA 2K and Rocket League.

Some of the most notable among them are football team Sporting CP, which holds a roster in EA Sports FC and Rocket League, Luna Galaxy, founded by professional footballer Diogo Jota (and previously known as Diogo Jota Esports), and Betclic Apogee. Luna Galaxy just won the EA FC competition at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, taking home $300,000 (~£229,000) of the $1,000,000 (~£763,700) prize pool.

In terms of entities producing esports content, RTP Arena, the esports department of Portuguese national television company RTP, has become a major player in the region. 

According to RTP Arena’s Content Manager Gonçalo Louro, the department broadcasts international esports tournaments for the Portuguese audience while creating various content formats: “We have a tech talk show. We have a gaming talk show where we talk about the latest news in gaming and we have a lot of different content released on our social media like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as well. We also have written content, mainly journalistic pieces, on the latest news in esports and gaming.”

E2Tech is another major player in the market. Since its foundation in 2007, the esports event producer has grown to host some of the nation’s most notable IPs, including video game festival Lisboa Games Week and the international competitive series XL Games.

Non-profit esports organisation Grow uP eSports dates back to the early 2000s and owns the GIRLGAMER Festival, an esports and gaming event series dedicated to celebrating and promoting ‘women’s competitiveness in esports’. 

“We wanted to do something special and we wanted to do something meaningful for the entire ecosystem,” said ESI Hall of Fame Award Winner Telmo Silva, who founded Grow uP eSports at the age of 16.

 “We want to do something that can change the lives of women playing competitively – create a safe platform and a safe environment for them to compete. It’s for them to show their talent because with this platform, we can create the role models for younger generations.” 

Grow uP eSports also contributes to the Portuguese esports system through social impact and education initiatives. In 2011, the organisation became the first Portuguese esports entity to be financially supported by the government. 10 years later, Grow uP opened its first gaming facility focused on youth work in collaboration with Portuguese municipality Sintra. To bolster its educational impact, Grow uP also partnered with football club Casa Pia A.C. last year.

Portugal’s esports industry is supported by two major bodies. — FEPODELE and FPDE — with both federations working towards the recognition of competitive gaming by the Portuguese government.

“It’s a movement similar to a lot of other national esports federations, so we’re mainly looking into our main goal right now, especially in Portugal: to make sure that our government recognises esports as a sport,” stated Pedro Honório da Silva, President of FPDE. “We believe there’s no regulation about a number of things. And we believe that there should be.”

Rui Alexandre Jesus, General Assembly President of FEPODELE, explained one of the federation’s main objectives: “You need a referee. […] You need someone to say ‘Whoa, whoa, calm down. Let’s take a whistle. Let’s sit. Let’s talk.’ You need someone to do that. Our biggest challenge now is to try to find that referee.”

More recently, the Observatory of Gaming and Esports (OGE) was also founded to provide an independent party monitoring the local esports scene and its issues. This was established in Óbidos, and ‘was born from the need felt by some professionals to have access to information about this industry in Portugal’ according to an article about it on CM Obidos. “An observatory is needed to bring people together in an independent way,” Jesus explained.

 “We are starting to develop it and I sincerely believe that that could be the positive future and help to a bright future of esports in Portugal.”

Throughout the relatively short history of esports, several destinations worldwide have developed so-called ‘esports hubs’. Arguably, the most prominent esports hub in the world is South Korea.

South Korea’s government took a leading role in the country’s meteoric rise as an esports destination through the recognition of esports as a legitimate sport and the creation of advantageous infrastructures. With broad access to high-speed internet and gaming consoles through gaming cafes, known as PC bangs, the country managed to establish esports and gaming as a core social activity before the beginning of this century. Furthermore, the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), the country’s esports government body, was established as early as 2000. 

Esports quickly cemented itself as a prolific form of sports and entertainment within the country’s society. Commencing in 2018, the South Korean government invested in the construction of 500-1000-seat esports stadiums in Busan, Daejeon and Gwangju, driven by The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the same year, South Korea established its first national team to compete in the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Today, several municipalities and cities have yearly budgets allocated to the development of esports.

However, South Korea’s example shines a light on perhaps Portugal’s biggest barrier. Until recently, Portugal’s government has taken little interest in the local esports industry. The lack of governmental support also coincides with common stigmas surrounding esports and gaming.  

Competitive gaming is still an unknown variable for many members of Portugal’s society. As a result, local companies hesitate to invest in the field.

This tricky environment sees Portuguese esports stakeholders struggle to find profitable sponsorships and partnerships. According to FPDE’s da Silva, the weak local economy and difficulty in creating valuable activations for interested brands also plays a role. The FPDE President further shared that even international brands may not offer lucrative sponsorship deals, as their budgets tend to prioritise larger esports markets.

“It’s extremely rare to have a double-digit sponsorship package with any sponsor. So we’re talking about the vast majority of sponsorships being below €5,000 (~£4,257). It’s very difficult then to sustain oneself or, for instance, create a competition with a €5,000 prize pool.”

RTP’s Louro believes that esports’ market correction, commonly referred to as the ‘esports winter‘, also impacted Portugal’s competitive gaming industry: “Even in Portugal, we felt that we found some brands retreating a little bit, trying to not invest as much money.

“Just like the big names suffered, we also suffered.”

Despite glaring challenges, Portugal’s market has several characteristics that position itself as a potential esports hub. Grow uP eSports’ Telmo pointed out the country’s broad access to fast internet connectivity — which other major European esports markets like Germany, lack — provides a major advantage.

Da Silva also highlighted Portugal’s geopolitical location. He believes Portugal may act as a bridge between the world’s continents. With decent proximity to Brazilian and US esports markets, the country may become a popular destination for international events.

FPDE’s President, further argues that the nation’s lenient visa policies and tourism industry might make Portugal an attractive event location. Similarly, the country offers cost-efficient resources, allowing organisers to host events cheaper than in other European nations. The local fandom, especially in Counter-Strike, might also play a key role. 

Despite these positives, Portugal has yet to become a regular home for major international events. So far, two BLAST competitions have been held in the country. According to Esports Charts, the BLAST Pro Series Lisbon in 2018 peaked at 236,645 viewers. Four years later, the BLAST Premier Spring Finals more than tripled that number, garnering 762,885 peak viewers. BLAST also announced its return to Portugal in 2025, serving as evidence of the country’s suitability for hosting tournaments. 

One major event that is heading to Portugal is ESI Events’ flagship event, ESI Lisbon. From September 23rd to 25th, ESI Lisbon invites gaming, esports, and creator economy leaders from Portugal and around the world to network and discuss relevant opportunities and challenges in the esports industry. These discussions will take place at the event’s exhibition space and stages located in the MEO Arena.

Alongside the attendance of Portuguese stakeholders RTP, Grow uP eSports, FEPODELE and FPDE, international brands and organisations, such as Visit Raleigh, GRID, Samsung Ads and Spectatr are supporting the event as sponsors. The conference will also feature the debut Esports Leaders, which features senior-level executives from major game publishers, esports teams, tournament operators, brands, agencies and more. You can see the full attendee list here.

RTP’s Louro, in particular, considers ESI Lisbon to be a vital opportunity for the local ecosystem: “It allows some of our local businesses to take a closer look at what’s done on a bigger scale internationally and try to adopt those ideologies, those practices to the current market in Portugal.”

With the government’s role yet undefined, the Portuguese esports ecosystem struggles to attain balance and sustainability. However, 2024 seems to be a potential turning point. During a parliamentary conference — supported by the Socialist Party and promoted by FPDE — on July 2nd, politicians and relevant stakeholders discussed the creation of a regulatory framework for esports in the country. André Batista, part of the Socialist Party, has long been an advocate for the esports industry and will provide opening remarks at ESI Lisbon ahead of a keynote from esports powerhouse T1.

Jesus remarked that the political efforts of FEPODELE and other key players have finally found fertile ground: “In the last eight years, what I’ve achieved specifically in this project — the role of any National Federation, I believe — is to convince the government. In Portugal, we’ve now achieved the start of the legislative process because it was a unanimous recognition of everyone that some rules should be applied now.”

Da Silva has noticed a similar shift: “There will be no legislation done in a short amount of time. This will take its time, but at least there’s a lot of conversation going on, a lot of traction, a lot of political attention. I think it is happening but when exactly remains to be seen. We predict that it’s probably going to take about 12 months until we get some sort of actual legislation around this.”

Louro emphasised: “We have the talent here. We just need more support, and I think the government could have a really big impact by making people feel more secure. I think as soon as that regulation starts to exist, there will be more brands coming in; there will be more security for some talent to become professional players.”

Da Silva hopes that future governmental action could help stabilise the ecosystem through public esports initiatives and funding, enabling struggling organisations to be less dependent on sponsorships. Grow uP eSports is a leading example as the organisation predominantly relies on public funding through its collaboration with the Portuguese Institute of Youth and Sports.

Another area of progress has been the destigmatisation of esports and raising awareness for the positive impact of competitive gaming on Portugal’s society and economy. As Grow uP eSports’ Telmo illustrates: “Children saw [our youth house] as a safe space. And we also work with their parents. Some of the parents now go with the kids to play with them. The parents support their kids going to our arena because, just like their kids, they started seeing it as a safe space.”

All in all, Portuguese esports stakeholders appear to be cautiously optimistic regarding the growth potential of their scene. Some believe the country is certain to develop into an international hub in the future, others think the related roadblocks might make relevancy beyond Europe difficult. 

However, as highlighted by Louro, one thing is for sure: “Esports is not the future. Gaming is not the future. Esports and gaming are the present.”