Esports has boomed during the pandemic | esports

Although the Belgian gaming market is booming, the Belgian esports market does not yet have similar international exposure. The number of players in the Belgian gaming market is about 5.25 million players, a total of 662 million euros in revenue in 2020. This puts Belgium in 25th place in the world rankings, with China taking the first place.

Meanwhile, Belgian consumers have found their way into esports: 28 percent of Belgians (aged 16 to 65) are familiar with and define esports. According to Deloitte, this is a relatively low number compared to Switzerland (41 percent) and Scandinavia (43 percent). Furthermore, 27 percent of Belgians have already watched esports content and 12 percent watch esports content at least once a week.

Esports prevalence and recognition increased during the Corona pandemic: 57 percent of the Belgian public watched esports for the first time on platforms such as Twitch or Proximus Pickx in 2020 or 2021. In addition, 46 percent of those who were already involved in esports before the outbreak increased Covid-19 has increased their consumption during the pandemic.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, many public recreational activities have been halted and everyone is spending more time at home,” explains Vincent Fausti of Deloitte. “However, esports is a 24/7 digital platform that has made more people discover this world of esports. Only in Hungary, the Netherlands and the UK has the pandemic made esports more widespread.”