Esports Law and Esports Governance

Abanazir, Cem and Shinohara, Tsubasa (2025) Esports Law and Esports Governance. In: Routledge Handbook of Esports. Routledge International Handbooks . Routledge, London, pp. 482-492. ISBN 9781032531502 (hardback); 9781003410591 (ebook)

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of law and governance within the context of the esports society. The chapter’s primary goal is to analyze the role of governance in esports. In doing so, it will explain how video game developers/publishers and third-party organizers hold esports competitions under specific rules and regulations. The secondary goal is to theorize the multi-dimensional relationships between developers/publishers and third-party organizers. The developers/publishers enjoy the intellectual property rights of the video games that form the basis of esports competitions. Their power over esports activities and other stakeholders is crucial. The tertiary goal is to illustrate the impact of state (i.e., any country’s civil government) and international institutions (e.g., European Union) on esports governance and law. Key highlights include: (1) as rules-based activities, esports is inextricably linked to law and governance; (2) Eesports society consists of various stakeholders with differing roles and powers, including developers/publishers that have the most influence due to intellectual property regimes; (3) at the moment, non-state regulation in esports is prevalent in most states; (4) nonetheless, states and the institutions they create intervene in esports activities when they deem it necessary.