Southeast Asia's red-hot esports scene draws global brands as sponsors

TOKYO/SINGAPORE/MANILA -- Southeast Asia is fast emerging as a global hot spot for professional gaming, drawing big-name sponsors to an esports market expected to nearly double by mid-decade.

The next quadrennial Asian Games, to be held in China in 2023, will feature Street Fighter V and other video games as official medal events for the first time. The 11-country Southeast Asian Games have included esports as official events since 2019.