Malaysia to invest US$3.6m in esports in 2021

It will be the third year the national government has directed millions to develop the sector

Malaysia.- For the third consecutive year, the Malaysian government has designated a sizeable investment in its financial budget to the local development of the esports sector.

Next year’s budget designates RM15 million (US$3.6 million) to the segment.

Finance minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz said the investment is part of a RM55 million (US$13.3 million) allocation for sports in the country. The total investment will be split among esports, developing female athletes and less prominent sports.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is in charge of deciding how the esports budget will be used.

Experts, however, are not expecting the growth seen by the sector to continue in the long term.

In 2019, the Malaysian government allocated US$2.4 million for the purpose of developing a local esports sector. It invested US$4.8 million this year.