Ahead of ATS Singapore 2022, Asim Rehman, VP of demand operations & supply APAC at Digital Turbine, provides an overview of the current gaming and esports landscape in APAC and beyond, claiming that the future of both lies in mobile.

How popular are gaming and esports in APAC?

Gaming and esports have seen a significant resurgence worldwide in recent years as people turned to both distraction and social interaction during repeated periods of shutdown. The increase in the popularity of video games, coupled with the continued proliferation of mobile usage in emerging markets and the increasing awareness among brands of the possibilities offered by esports, is estimated to drive the global esports market to USD ~$12.5 billion (~£10.8 billion) by 2030.

APAC is no exception and has been at the forefront of esports for quite some time: the region is estimated accounted for 51% of global esports viewership in 2017 and 57% two years later. This is not surprising, given Asia’s leading role in the cultural and technological development of gaming. APAC’s global share of the esports market is only expected to grow, with China (currently responsible for) nearly a third of global export earnings) and South Korea expected to play a leading role in this expansion.

Despite being used across platforms, mobile is the main frontier for gamers in APAC, unlike other regions where PC and console have the largest share. Asia has the most mobile gamers worldwide, with almost 1.3 billion from 2021.

What opportunities do gaming and esports offer marketers in the region?

Gaming continues to present a significant opportunity for marketers in APAC and around the world. This is especially true for mobile gaming, which has drawn more sales worldwide than PC and console combinedtaking into account half of the game. With more people than ever enjoying and investing money and time in games on mobile devices, the platform presents an excellent opportunity for advertisers and marketers to reach their target audiences in the region.

Mobile gaming meets all the essential requirements for brands and is more consistently accurate than any other advertising surface. On mobile, advertisers know that their ads will be seen by a real person in a safe environment, drive brand uplift, and have the tools to measure visibility and understand consumer sentiment.

That’s why mobile gaming offers an excellent supply for brands. And marketers recognize this: From our position as the preferred SDK partner for several apps (many of which are owned by the world’s leading mobile gaming app publishers), Digital Turbine has seen firsthand how advertisers are experimenting with the channel. The awareness of this opportunity is also reflected in the fact that leading marketing and advertising companies, such as Omnicom Group, have launched dedicated gaming groups and teams.

The rise of esports has opened up new opportunities for brands to engage with their customers, and many are already exploring this opening. From 2022, 69% of esports revenue comes from sponsorship and advertisingwith high-profile brands like KitKat and T-Mobile signing up as official partners of esports leagues and gaming tournaments.

How are brands already leveraging the mobile gaming industry?

Asim Rehman, VP demand operations & supply APAC at Digital Turbine

Nearly every leading brand worldwide has now included gaming in its marketing mix. Many invest heavily in mobile gaming inventory, including ad formats ranging from rewarded video (which is naturally opted in), to playable ads (which are highly attractive) to in-play ads (which are not intrusive but rarely clickable/ tapable).

In recent years, Digital Turbine has worked with brands to help them discover the benefits of advertising in mobile gaming, and more and more recognize its value. Our DT Creative Labs services have worked on numerous projects to create ad campaigns targeting the mobile environment (such as a French .’s recent gamified mustard campaign).

While interest is high, brands are still adapting to mobile among other advertising opportunities. One tactic we’ve seen is brands repurposing their TV ad on mobile devices. Using the same creative is a quick way to promote the brand; the mobile execution provides the opportunity to create a gamification experience within the advertising environment to make it more engaging and engaging for the audience.

What key challenges are currently impacting advertising within these industries?

After a period of ballooning, the rise of gaming is beginning to slow due to the easing of restrictions and some signs of a global recession. This delay may make some brands somewhat reluctant to explore the medium, but it’s important to note that gaming and esports are still growing for now. The same is true for mobile: growth has become more modest compared to two years ago, but app store spending in Asia is still expected to increase by 8% to $91 billion (~£78.6 billion) by 2026. Only time will tell how economic trends and shifts in spending will affect advertising in these spaces (and more broadly), so there’s no guarantee that macroeconomic challenges won’t shift ad spend on these channels.

Another pressing challenge is that, as more brands enter the gaming world, the public is becoming increasingly aware of the creative performance possibilities within gaming. As audiences with high expectations of a creative experience and a historical aversion to disruptive advertising, gamers expect brands to interact with them in a way that benefits them rather than detracts from gameplay. Marketers should focus on designing ways to reach players without disrupting the immersive experience of the game while providing value, for example by rewarding players with extra lives or points for watching a video ad.

What do you think the gaming and esports advertising landscape will look like a year from now?

We expect the market to continue to grow with innovations beyond pure gaming: with the rise of in-game advertising and the use of virtual currency exchange, we think it is very likely that similar strategies will be introduced by players like Netflix, they’re relatively new to the gaming world as they’re exploring ways to introduce ad-based models.

We believe the future of the esports and gaming industry will be powered by mobile. As we mentioned above, consumers in Asia are expected to spend more on mobile apps in the next four years, and the mobile games segment will make up for this 45% of the total global games market this year. This will be positive for the space and further reduce barriers to entry for even more gamers and fans to participate in and enjoy competitive gaming, encouraging brands to create and deliver new, exciting experiences to engage their audiences. to speak.

ATS Singapore 2022 will take place on September 21 and 22 at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay. Tickets and more information are available at the ATS Singapore 2022 Event Center.