Last week was significant for the China esports industry. Not only did a game publisher reveal its tournament and esports business summit plan, but also some notable non-endemic sponsorships and partnerships with professional teams, players, and tournament organizers.
Among the top stories: Tencent Esports announced its plans for the “Tencent Global Esports Annual Summit,” which will take place in the Chinese city of Hainan in June; Newbee and Shanghai Bank unveiled their joint debit card; CORSAIR was revealed as a sponsor of the Dota 2 MDL Disneyland Paris Major; and RNG partnered with Happy Valley to host its “RNG Esports Youth Says” debate competition at its Beijing home venue.
Every week The Esports Observer presents the biggest esports business news in China, including investments, acquisitions, sponsorships, and other major news from the region.
Tencent Global Esports Annual Summit Plan Unveiled
Credit: Tencent
On May 7, Tencent Esports announced its plans for the “Tencent Global Esports Annual Summit,” which will take place in the Hainan Boao Asia International Conference Center, Hainan, China, on June 20. Tencent said that it will invite executives, leaders, experts, and academics from esports, sports, and technology.
In the announcement, Tencent stated:
“Esports has entered the mid-term of its golden age. After great achievements in 2018, China has become a powerful country in the esports industry. A concept of ‘Esports can win national honor for the country’ has popularity spread in Chinese society.”
The summit will be hosted by the Hainan government and Tencent Esports. Tencent stated that it will reveal its plans for the China esports industry as a whole during the event.
RNG Hosts Esports Debate Competition in Beijing Home Venue
Credit: RNG
On May 2, esports organization Royal Never Give-Up (RNG) signed partnership deals with Chinese theme park company Happy Valley and livestreaming platform Huya to host its “RNG Esports Youth Says” debate competition, taking place from May 4-31 in RNG’s Beijing home venue. Multiple students from 15 universities will take part in this competition and debate popular topics around esports and gaming.
In this esports debate competition, Huya will provide exclusive streaming support. Tencent Sport, Sina Sport, Sina Games, Hupu Esports, and Weibo Esports are also partnered as media and platform partners.
This is the latest step from RNG to reach China’s university student community. On April 11, RNG started its Esports Educational Trip program – “R to Universities,” across six Chinese universities. During this trip, RNG shared insights and views on the esports industry and offered career advice to university students.
CORSAIR Sponsors Dota 2 MDL Disneyland Paris Major
Credit: Mars Media
On April 29, hardware brand CORSAIR announced that it signed a sponsorship deal with Dota 2 MDL Disneyland Paris Major, which is operated by Chinese production company Mars Media and Paris Disneyland Event Team. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
According to the Chinese announcement by CORSAIR on its official Weibo:
“…the partnership between CORSAIR and MDL is the next big step from the sponsorship between CORSAIR and Invictus Gaming League of Legends team.”
During the MDL Disneyland Paris Major, the CORSAIR logo appeared on the main screen of the tournament’s Chinese broadcast, alongside analytics partner SAP. So far, the Corsair logo has not appeared on English broadcasts for the competition, nor has any cooperation been announced on Western channels. The Esports Observer has reached out for comment.
Other Esports Business News:
Credit: Newbee
- On May 6, esports organization Newbee and Shanghai Bank hosted a ceremony for the joint unveiling of their debit card. Tong “CU” Xin, the founder and CEO of Newbee, as well as Newbee’s Dota 2 team, attended the ceremony. Fans received the exclusive Newbee-branded debit card and a Newbee mascot stuffed animal toy. Newbee first signed a partnership deal with Shanghai Bank on March 4.
- On May 5, Tencent Games announced $2.36M total prize pool money for the 2019 Honor of Kings World Champion Cup. The winner of the tournament will earn $1M. The tournament series will take place in Seoul, South Korea, from July 10-21; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from July 27 to August 3; and Shenzhen, China, on August 10.
- On May 5, razor brand Gillette launched a marketing campaign with five Chinese Honor of Kings professionals, including two players from Black Ananas, one player from eStarPro, and two players from QGhappy. One player from QGhappy, Peng “Fly” Yunfei, was exclusively featured in a Gillette digital commercial, which aired on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
