Even though it’s a relatively new industry, esports has taken the world by storm. The global esports market was valued at $1.72 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $9.29 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.7% – according to a report by Fortune Business Insights.
Southeast Asia’s esports market has grown particularly rapidly, evolving into a multi-billion-dollar phenomenon projected to reach USD 5.1 billion by 2028, attracting millions of players and viewers. The ASEAN region has approximately 310 million players, making it the fastest-growing gaming market globally.
However, behind these impressive statistics lies a more complex reality: many industry players and esports companies are struggling just to survive, both in Southeast Asia and globally.
As RRQ, currently the largest esports team and one of the biggest esports companies in Southeast Asia, we recognize that we cannot stand alone. We genuinely care about all stakeholders in this booming yet challenging industry. That’s why we want to share some key misconceptions we’ve observed in the esports landscape.
Esports is Not a Sprint
Our CEO and Co-Founder, Andrian Pauline, often reminds us, including in his interview with Tech in Asia, “Esports is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.”
In this era of digital startups, many companies—including those in esports—want to rush everything, acquiring as much capital as possible in the shortest timeframe.
This mindset causes many organizations to spread themselves too thin, leaving them vulnerable when market adjustments inevitably occur.
The esports industry is practically in its infancy compared to finance, education, or traditional sports. There is no proven formula for success yet, and the market continues to adjust rapidly and frequently.
Building a community and developing expertise takes time. Rushing blindly through an ever-changing landscape is simply reckless and undermines long-term sustainability. The companies that understand this patient approach are the ones positioned to thrive.
Fans Aren’t Just Numbers
Having worked in print and digital media since 2008, one of the biggest shifts I’ve witnessed in the digital content era is how companies treat their users/consumers. Viewers, subscribers, followers, and fans are too often regarded as mere statistics to be sold to the highest bidder.
This is not how we operate at RRQ. Our CEO consistently emphasizes that our fans, collectively known as RRQ Kingdom, are an integral and crucial part of our company.
“There is no King without its Kingdom,” he often says.
This philosophy drives initiatives like our RRQ Keliling Kota (RKK – RRQ City Tour) program. Through this event series, we visit 32 cities throughout Indonesia—including smaller communities—to create genuine interactions and meaningful connections with our fans.
Check This Out: Esports vs. Football: Cultural Showdown
Our CEO personally joins these events in 60% of the selected cities, meeting and engaging with fans despite his demanding schedule. To my knowledge, no other esports CEO demonstrates this level of commitment to community building.
He understands that showing sincere appreciation to fans ensures they recognize how deeply our company values them—not as numbers, but as the very foundation of our success.
Esports Is Not the Same as the Gaming Industry
Perhaps the most common misconception, even among industry insiders, is conflating esports with the broader gaming industry. While esports certainly exists within and depends on gaming, the approaches to these markets differ significantly.
Game publishers can treat users primarily as metrics: free users, paying users, gaming time, ARPU (Average Revenue per User), and so forth. But the esports ecosystem requires a more nuanced approach.
Let’s examine some figures to highlight this distinction. Moonton, the developer and publisher of MLBB, claims 110 million monthly active users. However, Esports Charts records that the all-time peak viewership for its most popular esports competition (M series World Championship) reached only 5 million. This means MLBB esports fans represent just 4.54% of total gamers.
This proportion aligns with the gaming and esports markets more broadly. Statista reports 261 million esports fans globally, while Newzoo counts 3.38 billion gamers worldwide. Thus, the esports market constitutes only 7.72% of the total gaming landscape.
Understanding the distinctions between gaming and esports shifts our perspective and fundamentally changes our strategic approach.
Esports Is Not a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme
Several years ago, many individuals and companies viewed esports as the next big opportunity—or worse, a shortcut to wealth. Every industry experiences its gold rush phase, but few appreciate how complex and resource-intensive the esports sector truly is.
Like traditional sports, esports represents a fusion of competition and entertainment. From my decade-plus observation of the industry, many stakeholders make the mistake of prioritizing one aspect while neglecting the other. Some focus exclusively on winning championships, while others consider tournament victories irrelevant compared to building a large fanbase or impressive social media metrics.
The reality is that surviving as an esports organization requires balancing both elements while managing substantial operational costs.
Even for those who understand this balance, implementation remains challenging. In football, acquiring the most expensive players doesn’t guarantee improved team performance. This challenge is magnified in esports, a much younger ecosystem with fewer established best practices.
On the entertainment side, challenges abound as well. In today’s digital landscape, everyone creates content. Individual influencers and key opinion leaders can achieve comparable popularity at a fraction of the cost required to maintain an esports organization or tournament.
Esports Is as Collaborative as It Is Competitive
While the competitive nature of esports is obvious, we must recognize that collaboration forms its foundation.
Consider this reality: every tournament operates according to a rulebook that all participants must collectively follow. Imagine a league where teams played by their own rules—that wouldn’t be competition; it would be chaos.
Within teams, collaboration proves equally crucial. In team-based esports titles such as MOBAs, FPS games, or Battle Royales, cohesive units typically outperform collections of individually talented players forced to work together.
Even in individual esports like fighting games or football simulations, you need an opponent to serve as your “dance partner.” Competition ceases to exist without willing participants.
Why is this understanding critical? As I wrote in another article, “Esports vs. Football: Cultural Showdown,” esports cannot sustain its growth trajectory while remaining as fragmented as it currently is. We must invest more effort into fostering collaboration between esports teams, tournament organizers, and game publishers.
Conclusion: Building a Sustainable Future Together
The esports industry stands at a critical crossroads. While impressive growth figures paint a picture of unbridled success, the reality on the ground reveals numerous challenges that require our collective attention and action.
The misconceptions we’ve explored—treating esports as a sprint rather than a marathon, viewing fans as mere statistics, conflating gaming with esports, expecting quick profits, and overlooking the collaborative nature of competition—all threaten the long-term health of our ecosystem.
At RRQ, we believe that acknowledging these realities isn’t pessimistic—it’s the first step toward building a truly sustainable industry. By embracing patience, valuing community, understanding market distinctions, setting realistic expectations, and fostering collaboration, we can transform esports from a promising but volatile sector into an enduring cultural and economic force.
The future of esports depends not on how quickly we can capitalize on current trends, but on how thoughtfully we can build foundations that will support the industry for generations to come. This requires honest conversations, strategic patience, and a genuine commitment to the communities that make esports possible.
The path forward may not be as straightforward as early enthusiasts imagined, but the destination—a vibrant, sustainable global esports ecosystem—remains worth every step of the journey. Together, as an industry united by passion and purpose, we can turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s triumphs.