Christina Gough
Research expert covering sports and video gaming
eSports in France - statistics & facts
From a niche hobby to a global phenomenon, the eSports market has experienced a meteoric rise in the last few years. In 2022, France had the sixth largest eSports market worldwide, ranking just below the United Kingdom. According to a Statista Market Insight, the northwestern European country had an estimated 9.7 million eSports users as of 2022. The reach of video games in France was highlighted in a survey in the same year, which found that 94 percent of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 years old played video games in the country. Overall, the best-selling video game in France based on sales of physical units was FIFA 23, a title published by gaming industry heavyweights Electronic Arts.
Who consumes eSports in France?
Millions of individuals engage in eSports consumption in France annually. As of July 2022, a breakdown of the distribution of eSports consumers and players in the region showed that there were nearly twice as many people who only watched eSports compared to those that were spectators as well as players. An online survey of French internet users found that about 3.3 million individuals watched eSports at least once a week in France. The same survey arrived at the conclusion that arcade racing was the most popular video game genre among internet users in France in 2022, while Fortnite Battle Royale was the most watched eSports title in France that year.Professional eSports players
In 2022, France was among the top five countries ranked by the number of active players in eSports competitions worldwide. Evan Rogez, who competed under the alias of M0nkey M00n, was the leading professional gamer in France based on earnings made in 2022. Ranking French eSports players by their lifetime earnings, however, revealed Sébastien Debs, also known as Ceb, as the most successful eSports player in the country. Overall, French eSports gamers had won a cumulative total of a little over five million U.S. dollars in 2022, ranking them above Canada when it came to the total prize money won by eSports players from different countries.Twitch in France
Twitch is a live streaming platform which provides gaming video content (GVC), among other forms of online entertainment. As of 2023, ZeratoR was the most watched French-language Twitch streaming channel, clocking a cumulative total of nearly five million viewership hours. Meanwhile, Squeezie was the most popular French-language Twitch streamer based on the number of followers recorded in 2023. Looking at the regional distribution of desktop traffic to Twitch.tv, France accounted for just over four percent of global traffic as of 2023.
