MF: Bertrand Amar, you founded NEO with Matthieu Dallon after ten years spent developing esports at Webedia. What exactly does the role of an esports promoter involve?
BA: An esports promoter organises competitions. These can take place online, with a live stream, or in person at public events. These are known as “offline” competitions. Our job is to act as a link between three key players: the esports communities (teams and players, whether amateur or professional), the public, and the publisher, who owns the game. Every competition begins with an agreement with the publisher. They entrust us, so to speak, with the keys to their licence. We can then develop competitions based on their game.
MF: You’ve chosen to base your company in Paris. What does the capital offer you that you wouldn’t find elsewhere?
BA: NEO is a French organiser with a European and international reach. We don’t automatically focus on French competitions. We aim for European or global competitions, whether produced in France or held there. Why France? It’s a rather unique country on the global esports map, with a very strong audience, a well-established structure and professional teams. We want to showcase this French expertise. Why Paris? For international players, France is, above all, Paris. Being in Paris is, in itself, a statement. Most of the commentators, production companies and studios we work with are based there: it makes day-to-day operations much easier. Finally, the esports economy relies heavily on sponsorship. Virtually all the major agencies and the vast majority of brands are based in Paris. This is a real strength when it comes to organising esports events in Paris and their commercial development.
MF: This summer, the Esports World Cup was held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, with nearly 2,000 players from over 100 countries. What does this sporting event in Paris say about the international standing of both Paris and esports? And what kind of event experience can one enjoy there?
BA: It confirms what many people are convinced of, myself included: France occupies a special place. This summer, Saudi Arabia was no longer able to host players from around the world due to the local geopolitical situation. We had to find an alternative solution to avoid cancelling the competition. Other destinations were explored, but Paris came out on top, quite naturally.
There are many reasons for this. France has been a hub for esports for nearly thirty years. The Esports World Cup builds on the Electronic Sports World Cup, which originated in France: my business partner Matthieu Dallon founded it in 2003 in Poitiers. This history has helped the ecosystem to flourish, with teams excelling on the international stage, such as Vitality, Gentle Mates and Karmine Corp, and others across France, such as Solary, based near Tours. When a publisher organises an event in France, they’re guaranteed packed venues and an atmosphere in the stands that you simply won’t find anywhere else. There’s also the issue of accessibility: Paris is a huge hub, accessible by direct flight from almost anywhere in the world, and right in the heart of Europe. Lots of people come to watch a competition and make the most of their time in the capital whilst they’re here.
MF: Paris versus Berlin, where Riot Games has set up its dedicated esports arena: how does esports in Paris measure up against this kind of permanent hub?
BA: Paris is, in my view, the European capital of esports. But this is only really evident in terms of hosting events. Paris hosts the most international competitions. In the space of a year, we’ve hosted the Fortnite, Rocket League and Valorant World Championships. We’d previously hosted the League of Legends World Championships, followed by EVO in France. No other country hosts as many. Berlin, however, has more event days throughout the year. Riot Games, the American publisher of League of Legends and Valorant, has set up its main production studio there. It hosts European championship matches every week. A whole ecosystem has sprung up around it: players, coaches, physical and mental trainers, and marketing teams. When it comes to organising esports events in Paris, we do not yet have a studio dedicated to hosting competitions on a regular basis. When organising a competition in France, we have to set up the venue in halls that are not dedicated to esports. This is clearly a project that deserves to be undertaken.
MF: You organise competitions in several French cities. How do you coordinate the organisation of esports events in Paris with that in other cities, and what impact does this have on MICE tourism and major events in Paris?
BA: Paris needs to make less effort to attract a competition. For a publisher, hosting major events in Paris seems an obvious choice: it’s the major transport hub. There’s also Paris’s events infrastructure: a huge number of venues and hotels, and a local audience that already fills the venue. Cities outside the capital need to promote their strengths more effectively. Some have realised this, such as Nice and Montpellier. They have invested, either financially or by providing infrastructure. Lyon has also made a strong case with the LDLC Arena, a modern venue that has incorporated esports into its design. It has been awarded two major competitions in 2025, for Fortnite and Rocket League. Hosting an esports competition brings many benefits to a city. We welcome an audience that is highly active on social media: the resulting buzz is on a completely different scale to that generated by an artist on tour. And it is the audience that travels to the event. The economic impact is enormous: a provincial town hosting an international event can expect a direct economic impact of several million, or even over 10 million, for shopkeepers, hoteliers and restaurateurs. Finally, it projects an image of modernity, as few towns host international events.
MF: Esports has long had a very male-dominated image. Is the diversification of audiences changing the way competitions are organised?
BA: No, it shouldn’t change the way we design competitions. Esports is gender-neutral by definition. But it’s the tip of a pyramid whose base – the video game players – includes slightly fewer women. That’s why we also organise competitions exclusively for female players. The principle remains the same: the same level of competitiveness, the same production standards. Women are increasingly present, both on stage and in the audience. I think we’re looking at around 25 per cent female audience members, a figure that has risen sharply since the Covid pandemic. A European study showed that 50 per cent of new esports audiences were female during that period. Traditional sport and esports did not fare the same way during the lockdowns: traditional sport came to a halt, but not esports, which is played online. Women are also excelling in fighting games. We organise EVO France, the European leg of the world’s biggest fighting game competition. Last year, a 16-year-old female player, Neia, surprised everyone there, coming within a hair’s breadth of the finals out of 1,000 participants. This year, she has signed with Vitality. She is one of the great hopes of women’s esports.
MF: You have an exclusive announcement to make. Which sporting event in Paris are you set to host, and what kind of event experience will players enjoy in Paris?
BA: We are delighted to announce that EVO France 2027 will take place in Paris. This was revealed on 11 October, on stage, at the close of EVO France 2026 in Nice. EVO is the world’s largest fighting game competition: Street Fighter, Tekken, but also more recent games such as Marvel Tōkon. It has been held every summer in Las Vegas for 25 years, and every spring in Tokyo for the past ten years or so.
I was fortunate enough to work with EVO to bring the competition to Europe. In Nice, in 2026, it was a huge success: players from 95 countries. Never before had an EVO event welcomed so many nationalities. This demonstrates France’s accessibility. In Paris, I believe we can exceed that figure. Organising an esports event in Paris also means being able to accommodate more players, thanks to the city’s event facilities, which are larger than in the past. Paris will be a major asset in attracting even more partners. We are delighted to announce that Paris will be the world capital of Versus Fighting on 22, 23 and 24 October 2027.
MF: What does this announcement mean for you, for MICE tourism and major events in Paris?
BA: It strengthens our partnership with EVO, which organises two landmark events, in Las Vegas and Tokyo. Paris is set to establish itself as a long-term destination, just as Las Vegas has been for 25 years and Tokyo for ten. This is the major shift for esports in Paris: establishing a sustainable event in the city, rather than a one-off event, such as a world championship final which, the following year, takes place elsewhere. Organising an esports event in Paris is a very long-term commitment. It must become a fixture on the Parisian calendar, just like other sporting events in Paris: the Tour de France finish or other major sporting highlights. This is the first time a global competition is set to become a permanent fixture in Paris.
For us, this is an opportunity to develop and support a competition over the long term. Attracting partners requires a huge amount of effort, and even more so if they believe their investment will be a one-off. Here, we’ll be able to forge long-term relationships with partners who will mark this date in their diaries every year.
MF: Looking ahead ten years, how do you envisage the international standing of Paris and esports?
BA: I hope that Paris’s current standing will be consolidated, perhaps through event infrastructure in Paris that will enable competitions to be hosted almost every day, as in Berlin. I imagine that Paris will be, if not the world’s number one destination, then certainly in the top three, probably alongside Qiddiya – the city currently being built in Saudi Arabia – and a city in China. Qiddiya has a huge amount of infrastructure and competitions built into its very DNA. It is set to host the Esports World Cup. The resources invested in this project by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will secure it an extremely prominent place on the global stage. In China, esports is extremely strong, with huge audiences. But in Europe, I don’t see Paris’s position being challenged. The future of esports in Paris is a certainty.
