Turkey’s esports community gets a fillip with Europe’s largest venue

Europe’s largest esports venue has been established in Istanbul’s Ataşehir district, which will be a massive boost to the rapidly developing esports sector in Turkey.

Turkey’s esports segment has over 12 million fans.

“Surveys and statistics show that almost 30 million people in Turkey play video games. We can say that some 12 million of them consist of the younger generation with a perception of esports. Tickets for a final game at the 15,000-seating-capacity Ülker Sports Arena go sold out in four hours,” Murat Tayhan, a communication officer at the Association Esports Clubs, told Hürriyet Daily News.

“The figures are incredible and keep increasing. Awareness is also on the rise,” he added.

“Turkey is among the pioneering countries in the world in institutionalizing esports. Turkey’s League of Legends Champions League has been pointed as one of the best seven in the world,” he said.

“Investment team Supermassive is among the best in Europe. Royal Bandits won the world title in playing Hearthstone game. Space Soldiers, one of the best CS:GO teams in the world, represent Turkey successfully,” he added.

One of the well-known Turkish esport players, Sergen Çelik, also known as Broken Blade, was transferred to the United States. Local players sign contracts for wages up to 700,000 Turkish Liras ($130,000). Esports economic volume is running towards $1 billion worldwide.