Last week was significant for the Chinese esports industry. Not only were there a number of notable partnerships and sponsorships announced, but key developments in Chinese esports educational projects and esports social identity came to light.
Among the top stories: the China National Bureau of Statistics has, for the first time, added esports into its national “2019 Sports Industry Statistics;” governmental esports media platform People Esports partnered with Tencent Esports; Royal Never Give-Up (RNG) started its “R to Universities” esports educational trip program in multiple Chinese universities; and Harbin Brewery partnered with TJ Sports for League of Legends Pro League (LPL).
Every week The Esports Observer presents the biggest esports business news in China, including investments, acquisitions, sponsorships, and other major news from the region.
China National Bureau of Statistics Names Esports as a Sport
On April 12, the China National Bureau of Statistics added esports to its national “2019 Sports Industry Statistics” for the first time, alongside traditional professional sports including soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, ping-pong, badminton, boxing, and marathon running.
Esports will be officially classified into a class, called a “professional sports performance event.” It should be noted that esports will be registered under the unique code “020210210” in the national sports industry statistics system.
With the fast development in the China esports industry, the government and Chinese society have started to embrace esports as a sport. The topic of whether esports is a sport or not has slowly become less of an issue in China.
RNG Starts its ‘R to Universities’ Esports Educational Trip
Credit: RNG
On April 11 esports organization Royal Never Give-Up (RNG) announced that it will start its Esports Educational Trip program across six Chinese universities. The esports educational trip project is called “R to Universities” (R represent RNG and also the English term ‘road’). The goal of this project is to let more young students know about the esports industry, and to embrace young professional talent. The six universities will include Central South University, Nanjing University, Tongji University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, East China University of Political Science and Law, and Fudan University. Five of the six joining the program belong to “985” class universities. (“985” class in China is similar to the ivy league U.S. university system, and The Russell Group in the UK).
During this trip, RNG will share insights and views on the esports industry and also offer career advice to university students. RNG’s League of Legends professional players Liu “Mlxg” Shiyu, Yan “Letme” Junze, Liu “Zz1tai” Zhihao, and RNG’s CMO Li Mingjie will attend this trip.
People Esports Partners with Tencent Esports to Develop Grassroots Tournament System
Credit: People Esports
On April 11, People Esports, an esports subsidiary media platform owned by governmental media outlet People.cn, held a press conference at the People’s Daily New Media Building, in Beijing, China. At the event, People Esports announced that it will partner with Tencent Esports to develop a new esports ecosystem and help the sector achieve industry sustainable growth. The new esports ecosystem will reflect esports culture, Chinese city culture, public entertainment, and education.
The partnership between People Esports and Tencent Esports includes developing national grassroots tournament systems around Tencent’s game titles – Honor of Kings and FIFA Online 4. People Esports and Tencent Esports will both use their resources from media communication, event organizing, event operating, and the government.
According to the announcement, People Esports claimed:
“Esports as a new sport, it still has a long road to develop. Esports should not only learn from traditional sports, but also need to have social responsibility in the country. For the long term plan of esports, we believe esports users are not just the audience, but also the participants of the esports industry in the future.”
Other Esports Business News
Credit: Harbin Brewery & LPL
- On April 12 esports organization LGD Gaming opened its jointly-branded internet coffee bar with Chinese internet coffee bar brand WYWK, close to its LGD home venue in the Hangzhou “esports town.” In November of 2018, LGD Gaming became the first esports professional team to set up space in the Hangzhou “esports town,” which reportedly cost $280M USD to build.
- On April 14 the LPL Union announced that the 2019 LPL Spring Season Grand Final will take place in the Chinese city of Foshan on April 21. The winner of the 2019 LPL Spring Season will be directly invited to the Mid-Season Invitational, which will be located in Vietnam and the city of Taipei.
- On April 16 non-endemic alcohol brand Harbin Brewery signed a partnership deal with TJ Sports for the LPL, becoming an official partner alongside KFC, Alienware, and Doritos, etc. Harbin Brewery will produce the exclusive “Harbin X LPL” joint beer can, and design customized LPL team branded beer cans.
