Turkey with its millions of players and e-sports enthusiasts is attracting attention worldwide as well as in the regional market. While there are hundreds of professional e-sports athletes who are rivalling their opponents in virtual arenas; the modest e-sports teams which are founded by local municipalities and sports clubs can easily find support and spectators as well.
Although there are no problems in terms of the number of players, e-sports is not yet an area represented by the state. Digital Game Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Abdurrahim Boynukalın will establish the Electronic Sports Federation to provide state support for this industry. It will pave the way to train more professional e-athletes and host more events.
Boynukalın, who described himself as a “hardcore gamer”, said the e-sports will be among the branches of the Olympic Games hosted by the city of Paris in 2024. The Federation, which will be established within the Ministry of Youth and Sports is expected to help the country to be represented in the Olympics. E-sports is expected to generate 1.5 billion USD in revenue by 2020. While the market is expected to reach 696 million USD this year, the US and China, two of the largest e-sports players, will have 52% of the global revenue.
