- Immense potential in Southeast Asia’s esports sector
- Gamer in Southeast Asia to rise to 186.8 million in next five years
Boutique private equity investment firm Tembusu Partners has invested US$1 million into Singapore-headquartered professional esports organisation RSG, through its FrontSight Capital Fund.
The fund said its investment is the first of up to ten planned investments of between US$1 million and US$2 million in Southeast Asian esports teams and companies.
Launched in late 2020, the FrontSight Capital Fund invests in emerging esports companies in Southeast Asia, seeking to leverage the exponential growth potential of esports in the region. The Fund is jointly managed by FrontSight Capital’s managing partners William Cao and Dennis Liu. The fund manager is Tembusu.
Commenting on the investment Cao said: “While the US and China currently lead the global gaming industry, the growth journey for Southeast Asia’s esports sector has only just begun and we are proud to be one of the first movers supporting the local esports industry. Across Southeast Asia, we see many young and untapped esports organisations that are well-positioned to expand regionally and globally.”
The investment will be used to support RSG’s strategy to strengthen operations, expand the regional talent pool, and extend its market reach. Founded in 2017, RSG operates across Southeast Asia to engage the gaming audience through esports teams and content creators.
The company’s premier esports teams specialise in games such as Mobile Legends, PUBG, Call of Duty and Warcraft, and have participated in over 200 tournaments collectively.
Building on its presence in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, RSG is in the midst of a regional expansion into emerging markets. The esports company also plans to compete in more games and reach 150 million gaming audience in Southeast Asia by 2021.
Founder and chief executive of RSG, Jayf Soh said: “As we scale up and diversify our offerings to other aspects of the gaming market, RSG will take a sustainable growth approach to invest in new technologies, expand our operations regionally, and groom the talent pool. We are excited about this new milestone, as we gear up to put RSG on the global map of esports in the near future.”
Southeast Asia holds the largest revenue in the global gaming market, and almost two-thirds of the gaming population in Greater Southeast Asia are engaged in esports. According to market research firm Newzoo, revenue from esports in Southeast Asia is expected to grow at 24 per cent per annum from 2018 to 2023, one of the highest globally.
William Cao FrontSight Capital
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