Global ESports Federation selects Portas Consulting as strategy partner

Portas Consulting has been named the new global strategy partner of the Global ESports Federation. The firm will help the Federation develop strategies to supplement its rapid growth, as the popularity of ESports continues to spike.

The ESports industry was already performing strongly prior to the pandemic. Audience viewership was growing at circa 10% per annum since 2018, while prize money grew 42% between 2018-19. At the same time, investment rose sharply, with notable transactions of venture capital-backed streaming and gaming platforms, including Twitch selling to Amazon for just under $1 billion, and Discord raising nearly $500 million.

The pandemic, and the lockdown that put global physical sports on hold at various junctures for the last two years, served as a further catalyst for the sector.

Now, most projections put the ESports ecosystem on track to surpass $1 billion in revenue for the first time this year, while research from Newzoo has suggested the market could be on course to hit $1.8 billion by the end of 2022.

Established in December 2019, the Global ESports Federation (GEF) is an organisation aiming to provide the growing industry with the legitimacy and stability it needs to maintain this growth sustainably. From its Singapore headquarters, it convenes the world's competitive video gaming community, in order to “cultivate competition along with developing communities and the connection between sport, ESports and technology”.

As GEF looks to push ahead with that mission at a time of rapid growth for ESports, the organisation is teaming up sport strategy advisory Portas Consulting. The firm specialises in providing advice on strategy, planning and implementation, organisation and leadership, and research, analytics and evaluation – and brings experience from supporting a range of other sporting governing bodies to the table.

Recently this included partnering with the Scottish FA over its new footballing development strategy.

Asahi Takano, a Partner and Head of Asia at Portas Consulting, said, “This partnership is incredibly exciting for us. Over the past 15 years, we have proudly worked with federations and sports bodies to fulfil our mission of harnessing the power of sport for all. Right now, the frontiers of sport are shifting dramatically – in how we play, how we consume, and how we relate. ESports, digital engagement and the metaverse are at the heart of this revolution.”

The move comes as GEF kicks on from two years of rapidly building its global Federation. As the group looks to the future, Portas will work with the GEF leadership to create, build and develop strategies to aid the organisation’s future ambitions.

Speaking on the news, Paul Foster, GEF's Chief Executive, noted, “The GEF Board is proud to welcome Portas Consulting to our global ESports family as we build our organisation to be ready for the future and the limitless potential of the metaverse.”