President of the Electronic Sports Association of Montenegro Filip Šoć has been actively contributing to the development of the domestic gaming scene for years, raising e-sports to a higher level and connecting it with education, tourism and the digital industry. Through a large number of tournaments organized in previous years, as well as the participation of Montenegrin competitors in world championships, the Association has confirmed its strategic approach to the development of this area.
At a time when the gaming industry is becoming one of the fastest growing sectors on a global scale, with more than three billion active players and an increasing impact on the economy, culture and education, his candidacy for the president of the European eSports Federation comes as a logical continuation of many years of work and results achieved in Montenegro. Driven by the vision of transferring a successful domestic model to the European level, Šoć wants to create a strong, connected and sustainable continental eSports infrastructure that equally includes large and small countries, strengthens national federations, supports players and coaches, and opens new development fields through technology, media and the digital economy, and he talks about all this for "Vijesti".
Filipe, another MFF has recently ended. This event has become important not only for the development of gaming in Montenegro, but also in the region. Today, when you summarize your impressions of how much the festival contributed to new connections and partnerships, are there any concrete initiatives?
Montenegro Future Festival, held from 9 to 11 May in Bar, showed that Montenegro can be the epicenter of new digital initiatives. The event attracted several thousand live visitors, and online broadcasts and interactions on social networks exceeded five million views. During the European Gaming Summit, more than 70 experts from 40 countries performed: representatives of IESF (150+ national associations), Global Esports Federation (132 members), ESL FACEIT Group, ESIC, NASEF Europe and the European Esports Federation. The largest publishers, Tencent and Moonton, whose games gather over 800 million monthly active players, presented projects worth almost 600 billion dollars. The Mini Expo “FiveG Zone” brought VR simulators, retro consoles, Assetto Corsa sim-driving and STEM workshops; the Adriatic Nations Cup in EA FC 25 gathered national teams from more than 20 countries. The results are tangible: an agreement with NASEF Europe on a pilot gamification of teaching in schools and direct contacts with investors from Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the rest of the world who are to open the first joint incubation projects for gaming and creative industries.
Despite the fact that such events can have a significant impact on tourism, MFF is still not supported through cooperation with ministries. Similar experiences are being had with such events in the region. How important is it to use them in a timely manner as a new platform for the exchange of opinions and the strategic development of a country in general?
For now, the largest burden of financing is borne by the Municipality of Bar, the Tourist Organization of Bar and several domestic companies. Ministries and the Government are not yet systematically involved and have not recognized the potential of this event and the industry itself. Examples from around the world show how much potential is missed: ESL's IEM Katowice attracts approximately 40 thousand tourists and leaves the city with more than 20 million euros, while BLAST Copenhagen brings in around 35 thousand visitors with a revenue of more than 20 million euros. The total online reach of such tournaments exceeds three billion views across social networks, streaming platforms and global media. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, France and Germany are already using e-sports to extend the tourist season, and there is also IT employment, as well as the promotion of the state brand. Montenegro can follow the same model with a strategic partnership of sports, tourism and the digital economy.
Although Montenegro is a small country, when it comes to gaming, you have managed to do great things. So today we can boast of the European e-football championship, festivals, Game Jam... You have decided to run for president of the European Federation. What goals would you have for that position? How much would it help you to better position Montenegro and the region on the European e-sports map?
My candidacy for President of the European E-Sports Federation has already been officially supported by the President of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee. Dusan Simonović and Minister of Sports Dragoslav Scekic. For the first time, two key national sports institutions have publicly recognised eSports as an area worthy of strategic investment. My programme is based on a strong vision for development, which includes legal recognition of eSports as a sport in at least 35 European countries by the end of my term, through cooperation with ministries of sport and national Olympic committees. I plan to launch a joint media platform with an annual reach of more than 250 million viewers, as well as establish a stable competition calendar that includes two to three large LAN tournaments with several thousand viewers per event, with additional online leagues for PC, mobile, console, VR and simulator titles.
One of the key goals is to organize a single European Championship with a rotating host, which would include disciplines from EA FC and Tekken to Dota 2, League of Legends, CS2, Valorant, Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, Brawl Stars, Clash Royale, Assetto Corsa and iRacing. I am placing a special focus on developing a mentoring network in which alliances with developed infrastructure help those who are just laying the foundations, relying on the Montenegrin model that connects sports, e-sports, gaming, tourism and IT. I plan to conclude formal agreements with key global partners such as ESIC, IESF, GEF, Tencent, Moonton and NASEF, with the application of GPT-5 analytics for advanced data production and valorization.
Ultimately, a portion of the revenue generated through tournaments and the media platform will be returned to the national federations' infrastructure and education fund. This would provide Montenegro, the entire Adriatic region, and Europe with the most concrete and sustainable continental e-sports system to date.
Some European countries have institutionally recognized e-sports as a branch of sport, investing significant resources in infrastructure, education and competition systems, and as a result have European and world champions. How do you view this model, to what extent does it confirm the importance of systemic support and where is Montenegro in this chain of development? What would be the first step towards such recognition in our country?
Germany, France and Asian and Middle Eastern countries have proven that the e-sports law opens the door to budgets for infrastructure and education: Germany has invested 50 million euros through the Digital Sports Hub, France has allocated 25 million for an arena in Paris, Saudi Arabia is investing tens of millions in promoting the country through the World Cup. The result is European and world champions and a strong technology sector. Montenegro has taken the first steps through the NASEF program and the education we do on e-Sports. The formation of a working group of the ministries of sports, education and finance should define the legal status of clubs and competitors, open funds for arenas and digital infrastructure and set a clear path to institutional recognition.
We have already shown in 2022 by organizing the European e-football championship that we have the logistical and organizational potential for major events. Now, cooperation with a globally renowned organization such as BLAST is also being mentioned. How important is such attention for a small country, and how can it contribute to Montenegro's positioning not only in the world of e-sports, but also in the context of digital tourism and the modern economy?
The 2022 European eFootball Championship has confirmed that Montenegro meets the technical and logistical standards of the largest organizers. Negotiations with ESL and BLAST envisage tournaments that would attract 20-30 thousand visitors, bring tens of millions to the local economy and reach over 70 million unique viewers through digital channels. This means a strong boost to the hotel, catering, transport and technology sectors, along with the global promotion of Montenegro as a destination for digital tourism.
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