The government of Malaysia, a dominant entity in the SEA Region, and one of the most thriving regions for Esports, has recently announced an allocation of 20 million RM (4.6 million USD) to foster development in the country’s Esports as part of its 2025 Budget.

According to the national news agency BERNAMA, this investment is a part of its development budget of over 350 million RMM (81 million USD) for development of sports as a whole. Other budget allocations were made towards football, olympics, cricket, and many more including preparations for the Deaflympics 2025 in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim says that the government will continue to intensify the development of sports in the country. In his address, he mentioned that the government has agreed to allocate 20 million RM to improve the Esports ecosystem including talent development and upgradation of Esports infrastructure. The decision was supported by the Malaysian Olympic Committee.

Malaysia is an important area in the SEA ecosystem of Esports, with a large number of teams and players in several popular games, such as PUBG Mobile, DOTA2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Free Fire.

The country is also home to the Axiata Arena, the host venue for the MLBB M6 World Championship this year which previously hosted events like the M1 World Championship and DOTA2 KualaLumpur Major. Malaysia has also hosted international events like PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2023 and ESL One Malaysia 2023. Apart from Axiata Arena, it is also home to popular venues like Jakarta International Expo, Battle Arena which is dedicated for Esports, and Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre.

It is no doubt that one of the major factors in a thriving esports ecosystem of a country is government level involvement and nurturing. Proper and planned investment can help a country rise in the ranks of world esports and make a name for itself. Bangladesh, being a part of the SA region in the APAC ecosystem, can also thrive in the esports ecosystem if proper infrastructure is present and proper investments and connections are mobilised. Venues like the ICCB and BICC have hosted Esports events in the past few areas despite the fact that there aren’t any dedicated Esports venues yet.