The Malaysian government has allocated over US$3.6 million for the development of the local esports industry, as part of its 2021 Budget.
This is the third year that the Malaysian government allocating a dedicated budget for the country’s esports industry, with the practice starting in 2019 with an initial US$2.4 million allocation. However, the newly-announced esports budget for next year is less than this year’s allocation of over US$4.8 million.
Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz, Finance Minister of Malaysia, revealed that the budget allocation for esports is part of a greater over US$13.3 million allocation towards the development of the country’s sports scene, including female athletes as well as other less prominent sports, such as hockey, rugby, badminton and cycling.
While the cause for the reduction of Malaysia’s esports budget next year remains unclear, it is known that the funds will be the responsibility of the country’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, as it has been for the last two years.

By Niji Narayan

Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.