MESF president Ananth S Nathan said in a statement that the government “did not disappoint” with its e-sports initiatives, such as the RM20 million allocated to develop the industry, the RM5 million allotted to create a drone sports centre of excellence and tax exemptions for tournament prize money.

“This budget shows the government is serious about empowering the industry.

“This financial injection can certainly help to develop e-sports at the community level and provide much-needed improvements to facilities and platforms.

“We hope that the positive attention paid to this industry will continue in the future (as the) government’s support is important to help this still green industry.”

However, Ananth said it was unfortunate that the group had not been brought in to discuss allocations to the sector prior to the budget’s tabling yesterday.

“As a national sports body registered under (the Sport Development Act 1997) and affiliated with the International E-Sports Federation (IESF), the government needs to view MESF as a key entity and stakeholder to obtain detailed information on the status of e-sports in Malaysia.

“This is to ensure the government, through the youth and sports ministry, gets an accurate picture of the development of local e-sports.

“This will enable planning to be formulated properly, especially when it comes to allocating funds for e-sports development.”

In light of this, Ananth asked the government to consider recognising and supporting MESF as the main body in the sector, allowing it to regulate all national e-sports governance.

“As a member of the IESF, the credibility of MESF cannot be questioned. MESF is always ready to share its knowledge, expertise and experience.

“It is imperative that a supreme governing body be established to standardise governance in a professional manner.”