Zona de Azar Argentina – Esports Around the World Series, Today: Argentina

Argentina.- May 6th 2022 www.zonadeazar.com Esports Around The World is a series of profiles outlining the esports ecosystem in various countries globally.

The series ties into our ESI Washington DC event taking place 16-18th May 2022, which will focus on esports’ growth around the world.

The event will include a first-of-its-kind embassies tour alongside ESI’s trademark combination of networking, education and debate.

Introduction

South America’s esports market is largely divided between ‘Brazil’ and ‘LATAM’ due to language, cultural differences and market size. Argentina is part of the LATAM block, along with countries like Chile and Peru. That does not stop local teams from competing in Brazilian tournaments, or initiatives that integrate both markets like Ubisoft’s Copa Elite Six. However, investment level in the local scene is still well below its larger neighbour.

Argentinian esports’ main stakeholders are the Spanish production company LVP (Liga de Videojuegos Profesional), responsible for some of the biggest tournaments in the country; the TV company Flow, owned by Telecom Argentina; along with international sponsors including Logitech, AMD, and AORUS.

Argentinian esports had two big explosive moments in the last three years. The first was in 2019, when current FaZe Clan player Thiago ‘k1ng’ Lapp lept to the spotlight on local mainstream media for winning almost $1m (~£800,000) in Fortnite. The second was in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic significantly pushed up online esports viewership as Argentinians stayed inside their houses. A further boost was given to the scene through the qualification of esports organisation 9z Team to the PGL Major Antwerp 2022.

Lapp’s success in Fortnite helped to push up the popularity of battle royale games, but the most popular competitive game in the country is still Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). A widespread cybercafe culture, and the huge popularity reached by earlier titles in the Counter-Strike franchise in the 2000s, makes CS:GO and the FPS genre extremely popular today. Partially thanks to this, Riot Games’ first-person shooter Valorant appears to be rising as an esport, pushed by strong performances by KRÜ Esports.

Moreover, as mobile gaming expands in Argentina — and the wider South American region as a whole — Garena’s battle royale Free Fire is establishing itself particularly well in the country.

Government Recognition

There is no official recognition or specific regulation for esports in Argentina. For most traditional non-endemic companies and investors, there is a culture in the country of waiting for regulation prior to investing — meaning government recognition will be an important step in unlocking investment in the scene.

However, the Aregentinian province of Córdoba has invested in the ‘Córdoba eSports’ project, having held a FIFA competition named ‘Copa Cordobesa de Fútbol Electrónico’ in April 2022. The province’s Minister of Science and Technology Pablo De Chiara has publicly stated that competitive gaming “will be a boost for the entire video game industry that is part of the knowledge economy and generates hundreds of jobs.”

Notable Tournaments & Leagues

Argentina has a few smaller domestically-focused tournaments, but many of its biggest leagues and competitions are wider LATAM circuits in which Argentinian organisations

Notable Esports Organisations

Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com