Summary

France has gradually become one of Europe's most talked-about countries when it comes to esports. French President Emmanuel Macron has publicly praised the esports industry and stated that esports should be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics in some capacity. In recent years, the French scene has grown in popularity, particularly among League of Legends players and teams like Karmine Corp. In fact, during the Spring 2022 season, the country's regional League of Legends competition, the LFL, had over 220,000 peak viewers. There are some notable tournaments and leagues, including eLigue1, League of Legends World Championship 2019, LFL, Six Invitational 2021, VRL France: Revolution, and many more. There are some notable eSports organizations, including GamersOrigin, Karmine Corp., LDLC, PSG Esports, Solary, Team Vitality, and many more. France's esports passion is fueled by government support. In order to highlight the economic benefits of esports, the French government officially recognised esports as a national sport in 2016 through the French Digital Republic Law. A year later, the government's stance on esports was strengthened by two additional national decrees. French President Emmanuel Macron has also expressed his admiration and support for esports and France's success in the discipline. Despite its general support for the scene, the government has made no efforts to integrate education into esports. However, Team Vitality will launch Vitality School in August 2020 to provide online esports training courses for 12- to 17-year-olds during the school holidays. In 2023, Zar and Pandascore will be the top eSports startups in France.

According to the research report "France eSports Market Overview, 2028," published by Bonafide Research, the market is expected to add USD 41.22 million by 2028.Streaming is expected to dominate the segment share during the forecast period. The growing emphasis on fan engagement is likely to fuel demand for live sports events. Furthermore, the rise in smartphone users is expected to fuel demand for live sports tournaments. Media rights are making a significant contribution to the country's esports industry. Fans can now track live esports activity across the country thanks to easy access to communication technology. Media companies pay exorbitant fees to win the exclusive rights to broadcast live streaming of major sporting events. In recent years, the sale of broadcasting and media rights has been the most important source of revenue for most esports organizers. The revenue generated by the sale of media rights is used to fund major sporting events, renovate stadiums, and contribute to the grassroots development of esports. During the forecast period, sponsorship is expected to grow rapidly, followed by advertising. As the number of viewers grows, the sponsoring team invests in the platform to strengthen its brand image. Similarly, various gaming platforms include in-app advertisements to boost revenue generation.

According to a study, approximately 55% of French people aged 16 to 65 are familiar with the term "esports," with approximately 35% correctly defining the term. Esports has a market penetration of around 35%, which refers to consumers who have watched esports at least once in the past. Both figures are high in European terms and comparable to other advanced esports markets such as Germany, the Nordics, and the United Kingdom. When it comes to audience monetization, France stands out among these markets. Around 24% of French consumers have already purchased esports-related items, putting France clearly ahead of Germany (around 13%) and catching up with Spain (around 26%), Poland (around 26%), and Italy (around 25%), which are Europe's esports powerhouses in terms of consumer awareness and penetration.
France has a long history of producing world-class players in a variety of sports. Sébastien "Ceb" Debs, a retired Dota 2 superstar, is the only French player to have won The International twice, with OG in 2018 and 2019. Dan "apEX" Madesclaire and Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut of French Team Vitality CS:GO, among many other French players, have been highly regarded in the scene for years. Previously, Team Envy has fielded wildly successful French rosters. France has also had significant success in Rocket League, most notably with Team BDS and Team Vitality. The all-French roster of Team BDS won the RLCS 2021–22 World Championship, and as of publication, France had more Rocket League World Championship titles than any other country.

France's competitive success across titles is undeniable, but what make the country even more appealing are its growing and passionate fan base, as well as new structures being developed to strengthen its scene. Trust Esport, France's first esports-specific venture fund, was established in 2018 with the goal of investing in startups focused on services that improve esports and gaming. Matthieu Dallon, co-founder of esports platform Toornament.com and co-founder of the non-profit federation France Esports with the French Ministry of Economy, founded the fund. While there is no shortage of professional players or teams, France is emphasising that industry development is not always done on a competitive level.

COVID-19 had a significant impact on the French esports market in 2020, as it did on almost all industries and countries. During this time, esports viewership more than doubled, with 52% of the overall French audience watching esports for the first time in 2020 or 2021. Furthermore, 49% of consumers who had previously been exposed to eSports prior to COVID-19 increased their consumption during the pandemic. However, this did not result in an increase in overall revenue. Revenue from events and related ticketing and merchandising almost vanished, and consumption was restricted to digital channels (where it grew strongly). Organizations quickly adjusted, but in most cases, revenue loss could only be compensated for, with revenue growth occurring only in exceptional cases. The industry's future challenge will be to retain and convert the fans and users who were attracted during the pandemic so that esports can become a mainstream product in terms of reach and economic power in France.

Numerous factors, such as increased video game awareness and the popularity of Esports, are driving the country's growth in the Esports market. Long-term investment initiatives by large corporations, as well as an increase in the number of tournaments with large prize pools, create rewarding opportunities in the market during the forecast period. The growing use of smartphones in the world's developing economies is due to a variety of factors, including an increase in per capita income, affordability, multiple low-cost options with significant features, and many others. As the demand for esports events increases, it will create lucrative opportunities for the esports industry.

As the esports business is still in its early stages, both organisations and players confront a number of challenges. Many tournament participants and gamers have difficulty determining the legitimacy of tournaments. With the increasing number of tournaments comes an increase in the number of scams and fraudsters, posing challenges for genuine and legitimate esports tournament organizers. The lack of standardisation in the esports industry reflects the ongoing difficulties that players, tournaments, teams, and their advertising, sponsorships, or contracts face.

Considered in this report
• Geography: France
• Historic year: 2017
• Base year: 2022
• Estimated year: 2023
• Forecast year: 2028

Aspects covered in this report
• France eSports market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Revenue Streams:
• Sponsorship
• Media Rights
• Merchandise & Tickets
• Publisher Fees
• Digital
• Streaming

By Device Type:
• Mobile (Smartphone, Tablet)
• PC (Laptop, Desktop)
• Gaming Device (Console, Handheld Devices)
• Other (VR, Smart TV, etc.)

The approach of the report:
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and list out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third-party sources such as press releases, and annual reports of companies, analyzing the government-generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducting trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers into regional aspects, tier aspects, age groups, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources.

Intended audience
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the esport industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.