Phygital Games: A new and rising sport on the horizon

A new form of sport is on the horizon. The Phygital Games of the Future 2025 concluded its six-day event on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, UAE. At this year's event, a total of 11 games were included, such as phygital football and basketball, attracting more than 2,000 players from around the world.

Phygital games consist of both physical and digital games. For example, to participate in phygital football, players need to play an e-sport version, but then also must head onto a physical football field for a game.

The momentum of this new trend is robust. A third-party research shows that the world phygital games market is set to reach more than $2 billion in 2025, and is expected to rise to more than $5.5 billion by 2029 with double-digit growth rates. Business insiders say they are very optimistic about the future of such sports.

There's little doubt when you look at the e-sport market, it's constantly and rapidly growing, according to Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International. He said that the future will hold further advancements and developments for this field of sports. 

The momentum for the Chinese market, the world's second-largest economy, with a population of 1.4 billion, is also strong. According to Cui Kai, the world phygital community's representative in China, phygital games have huge potential, despite it still being at an early stage in the country. The annual growth rate is projected to be between 20 and 30 percent, and the market size could reach 30 to 50 billion yuan in the next three to five years.

Phygital games provide two kinds of fun for both audience and participants. They no longer need to choose between e-sports and physical sports, they can now enjoy both together.