THE OPPORTUNITY
Today, the gaming industry is twice as big
than the combined movies and music industry.
WHY ESPORTS SUISSE?
Games and sports are entertaining, that’s why we love to play.
eSports and gaming have a strong growth profile and are considered as “the next big thing” within investing in social infrastructure. Games are the new social media. The next big movie franchise, theme park or toy line will most likely come from games related to eSports.
There are around 2,8 billion active gamers in the world. As example, more than 500 million people played the game "Among Us" in November 2020. That's 2.5 times the number of Netflix subscribers, and that's only the stats for this single game.
Powered by all these active players, gaming is at the forefront of consumer engagement across all sectors. And then there is the audience.
In October 2020, 45 million people turned in online to watch the League of Legends world championship. In comparison, this is about the same number of people that watched the six games of the 2020 NBA Finals on TV.
eSports organizers have long called for the growing activity to be added to the Olympics. Those aspirations got a boost when the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, decided to name eSports as a full medal event.
The global game industry is expected to generate more than $189 billion in annual revenue in 2021. That’s more than twice the combined size of the worldwide film industry (2019: $42,5 billion) and the recorded music industry (2019: $21,5 billion).
That's the opportunity, we are investing in.
WHAT DRIVES THE MARKET FOR ESPORTS?
Gamification is disrupting verticals like never before. With the metaverse it is estimated, that video game content and services will grow at a 15% compound annual growth rate from roughly USD 200 billion in 2021 to more than USD 400 billion by 2026.
The eSports market is not driven only by supply and demand of digital opportunities, it is also driven by significant investments by key market players:
-
Content providers are monetizing IPR over longer time horizons with new “games-as-a-service” models driving new income streams via micro-payments and in-game sales (no paywall).
-
Established tech players are entering the scene with strategic investments. Amazon has acquired Twitch, a game-streaming company, and Facebook has launched its own cloud gaming service.
-
New media channels are facilitating access to a wide range of eSports tournaments and related entertainment. Now content can be viewed and played anytime and anywhere.
-
Consumers are demanding new entertainment solutions as the world is entering a new digital reality. 5G networks, VR gear and IoT will accelerate the consumer “pull-effect”.
Commercial ecosystems are being created across the space. Any commercial opportunity generated in the physical sports world, can be replicated in the eSports environment with the addition of big data enabling greater targeting and offering customisation to the fans, consumers and participants.
ESG COMPLIANCE
The combination of eSports, eHealth and eLearning can achieve several of UN’s sustainable development goals, including:
-
Health: Well-being with gamification of work-out exercises and daily routines.
-
Education: Improved school enrolment and attendance with gamification of curriculum.
-
Gender equality: eSports are gender neutral and can promote gender equality, inclusion and respect.
INVESTMENT PROCESS
Our investment process is based on two pillars: A “top-down” market-based assessment of a company’s potential, and a “bottom-up” analysis of its capacity to deliver growth.
Potential target investments undergo a multi-step due diligence and screening process. All steps are safeguarded by our Research and Investment Committees.
We have "skin in the game" and invest together with our partners.