Syed Saddiq is pushing to empower eSports in Malaysia
Syed Saddiq pledged to make Malaysia an eSports (Electronic Sports) powerhouse not only in ASEAN, but in the whole of Asia. He claims that the billion-dollar industry has potential to grow within the youth of the country.
For those unfamiliar with the scene, eSports is a competitive multiplayer video game tournament between professional gamers, or organised teams. Additionally, eSports consist of various genres such as first-person shooter, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), football simulation and many more.
Being an avid gamer of Dota 2 himself, the Minister of Youth and Sports Syed Saddiq has been advocating eSports in Malaysia since being appointed to the position.
During 2019 National Budget, it was announced that the government allocated RM10 million to develop eSports in Malaysia. Syed’s advocacy on eSport has also gained the attention of Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan. Tan revealed that he will invest another RM10 million to support the local eSports industry.
On top of that, the 26-year-old minister proposed to build an eSports stadium, eyeing Komplex MSN Raja Baru at Kampung Baru as its base. He also talked about building Malaysia’s first digital entertainment city at Jalan Ipoh.
Syed said the self-sustaining industry can generate enough revenue to make a huge growth, further improving Malaysia’s eSports revenue ranking; Malaysia is currently ranked 21st on the list.
Furthermore, Syed is also working on developing opportunities for Malaysians to develop their own games which has the potential to contribute to the nation’s export revenue. He added that Malaysian youths have the potential to develop their own software but wasn’t given the opportunity to do so in Malaysia.
Therefore, the Youth and Sports Minister is seeking eSports software developers to invest in the country’s eSports scene as it could generate considerable returns, opportunities for foreign investment, and create professional high wage jobs.
Recently, Syed Saddiq announced that a blue print for Malaysia eSports development will be ready by April. He claimed it will focus on 5 strategies, mainly: developing athletes, support its growth, access to facilities for investors, promoting and public awareness, plus good governance and administration.