It is undeniable that Esports is experiencing its most prosperous period with many large-scale tournaments being held. The number of participating teams is increasing, attracting a large audience’s interest and support. Recognizing this trend, many countries around the world have actively promoted Esports, developing tournaments as playgrounds for gamers, offering enormous prize money, and creating conditions to enhance player quality. As a result, they have achieved many well-deserved accomplishments.
So, which countries have the most successful and developed Esports industries in the world? Let’s take a look at the following list.
1. South Korea
South Korea is a country with a traditional and long-standing Esports industry that is increasingly being invested in. It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the capital of the professional Esports world. In South Korea, the government has recognized the existence, development, and significant contributions of this emerging industry to the overall economic development. Gamers in South Korea are also recognized and valued by society as a profession like any other.
For many years in South Korea, many large enterprises have invested in the development of Esports, such as SK Telecom and Samsung. Teams are supported and equipped with everything necessary to focus on training hard to achieve the highest results. In return, South Korean gamers must undergo a rigorous training process with extremely strict discipline. With a strong elimination rule, countless young talents emerge every year, so each gamer must strive their best; otherwise, they can easily be replaced by a new generation full of passion and ambition.
With such a harsh and professional training system, South Korea boasts many world legends such as the Demon King Faker, Bang, Wolf, etc. The achievements these legends bring to South Korea are incredibly impressive and something any player would aspire to. For instance, in League of Legends alone, South Korea has won the World Championship multiple times, and even at the recent 2022 World Championship, the champion team DRX is also a representative of this country.
2. China
In Asia, alongside South Korea, China is also a country with a highly developed and successful Esports industry. In the early days, Esports in China faced many difficulties, even being banned by the government. Later, recognizing the rapid development of Esports, China officially recognized it as an electronic sport on par with traditional sports. Esports organizations are free to recruit young talent, as long as they meet the age requirements for each game.
Over the years, major tournaments have flourished, and many games and livestreaming platforms have emerged. Consequently, a huge amount of money has been poured into this industry. Some Western organizations have joined China’s Esports ecosystem, partnering with Chinese tournaments and brands, most notably Tencent.
China also possesses outstanding talents such as Uzi, JackeyLove, Ning, etc. The amount of prize money that these players bring back to China is also staggering, contributing to elevating the country’s Esports to a global level.
3. Denmark
In recent years, the global Esports scene has witnessed the rise of Denmark, becoming one of the countries with a successful and developed Esports industry.
Notable Esports achievements from Denmark include their pride in Dota 2, where they have N0tail, the first player in the world to win two consecutive The International tournaments. This achievement helped him top the leaderboard of the highest-earning players from Esports tournaments, with $7.1 million. Along with N0tail, Denmark also has other well-known players in the Dota 2 community such as Cr1t, MiSeRy, etc.
In addition, there is CS:GO with the legendary team Astralis winning Major championships multiple times. For League of Legends, which is a strength of South Korea, Denmark boasts prominent names such as Bjersen, Broxah, Caps, Wunder.
4. United States
With its strong economic advantages and achievements in science and technology, the United States has become a driving force for the development of Esports. The U.S. is also home to the world-famous game publisher Riot Games. In addition, many large-scale tournaments are held in the U.S., such as the League of Legends tournament system.
The most notable achievement that the U.S. has marked on the global Esports map is the victory at The International 2015 by the trio UNIVERSE, ppd, and Fear. In 2019, Bugha emerged as the American player with the highest prize money after winning the Fortnite World Cup.
However, this achievement still does not seem adequate compared to the highly developed Esports scene in the U.S. Professional tournaments have yet to be highly regarded for their professionalism.