Over the past week, the Chinese esports industry has seen several partnerships and sponsorships were signed between esports teams and non-endemic brands, three LPL esports teams rebranded, and key developments made by two game publishers – Valve and Tencent Games.
Among the top stories: Tencent Esports partnered with Shanghai sport bodies to launch an esports referee training program; VG Gaming signed a partnership deal with Chinese nuts brand Three Squirrels; Invictus Gaming partnered with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank; LGD Gaming and SN Esports rebranded its League of Legends teams’ logo for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Summer Season; Dota 2 The International Shanghai 2019 announced the ticket sales star on May 24; Snake Esports may be changing its brand; and Valve is developing its own version of Dota Auto Chess.
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 Esports Partners With Shanghai Sport Bodies For Esports Referee Training Program
Credit: Tencent Esports
On May 18, Tencent 
Esports and King Pro League (KPL) Union partnered with Shanghai Sport Association and Shanghai Esports Association to launch an esports referee training program. The new program was revealed during an opening ceremony at Pudong Changtai International Cultural Centre. Ji qiao, vice secretary of Shanghai Sport Association; Huang Cheng, secretary of KPL Union; and Chen Han, KPL director, attended the event.
At the event, Qiao said: “Shanghai is expected to be the ‘Global Esports Center,’ and it needs regulation and standardization in the industry. The esports referee training program is an important move for connecting esports and traditional sport. This program is only the beginning of esports professionalization, we will establish a multi-level registration system for athletes, coaches and organizations with reference to other traditional sports. We wish we can bring esports into the broad scope of sport.”
In addition, the Shanghai Esports Association issued an Esports National Referee Level Two Certificate to Han and KPL Referee Chief He Zhizun.
In November 2018, the Shanghai Esports Association released a set of guidelines for the registration and management of esports athletes. Athletes must be at least 18-years-old and hold a signed contract of employment with an esports organization. If esports athletes do not register, they will not get governmental benefits as Shanghai athletes.
LGD Gaming and SUNING to Rebrand for LPL Summer Season
Credit: LGD
On May 21, esports organization LGD Gaming rebranded its League of Legends team logo for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) Summer Season. The LGD League of Legends image has been replaced by LGD original HQ’s logo, which now only shows the name “LGD Gaming,” instead of a dragon appearing in the image. LGD’s Overseas Business Development Manager told The Esports Observer that “the new logo of our League of Legends team is actually the original logo of LGD Gaming we used for a long time.” In addition, the PSG.LGD
Dota 2 team will still keep its name and logo.
On May 22, esports organization SUNING Esports (SN) also announced that it revealed a new League of Legends team logo for the LPL Summer Season. The image has been replaced by a lion, along with the name “Suning.” The lion is similar to the Chinese e-commerce company Suning Corporation’s classic mascot.
In addition, according to the announcement by SN, the company has updated its team jersey, exclusive traveling case, gaming chair, and even its esports motorcycle. Details of the new team jersey were also announced, with logos of Suning, Razer
, Leishen, Samsung, Canon and Anda Seat set to appear on the shoulder of the jersey.
Over the past week, four LPL teams rebranded, including TOP ESPORTS (TES), LGD Gaming, SN, and Snake (to LNG Esports).
The International Shanghai Announces a New Rule on Ticket Sales
Credit: Valve
On May 21, Valve
announced that Dota 2 The International Shanghai 2019 will start ticket sales on May 24 at 12 p.m. CST for Chinese fans and 9 a.m. CST for fans outside of China. The International partnered with Damai for Chinese ticket sales and Universe for western sales.
In addition, the company also announced a new rule in order to prevent reselling (commonly referred to as “scalping”). Dota 2 players who own a Battle Pass or an active Dota Plus subscription prior to May 21, 6 a.m. CST, will receive an Early Access Code in the Dota 2 system. The code gives the holder one-hour early access to purchase The International tickets after the opening time. The Esports Observer found the Early Access Code has been listed on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, with the price close to ¥100 RMB ($14.48) each. According to the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena official website, the arena has an 18,000 seat capacity.
Other Esports Business News:
Credit: Three Squirrels
- On May 20, Chinese esports organization VG Gaming signed a partnership deal with non-endemic nut brand Three Squirrels. The two companies will partner on a theme of “Healthy Esports.” The partnership between VG and Three Squirrels will deeply focus on promoting two products of Three Squirrels – “Three Squirrels Nuts” and “Three Squirrels Coffee Drinks.” In addition, Three Squirrels will be the major sponsor of VG, including the Three Squirrels logo appearing on VG’s team jersey.
- On May 17, Chinese esports organization D7G announced that it acquired a regular spot in the League of Legends Development League (LDL) from esports organization UP. Financial terms were not disclosed.
- On May 20, esports organization TOP ESPORTS (TES) signed a sponsorship deal with hardware brand Razer. Details of this partnership were not disclosed.
- On May 20, Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning and esports organization Royal Never Give-Up (RNG) released their co-branded shoes on Chinese social media Weibo. The shoes will be available for purchase starting June 15.
- On May 21, Tencent Games Security Center announced that it has punished 33,371 League of Legends players for cheating, account boosting, and toxic behavior. The punishment includes account and communication bans for a limited time.
- On May 21, esports organization Snake Esports unveiled a new logo on its home venue in the Chinese city of Chongqing, with the new name LNG Esports. The Snake image was replaced by a Chinese mythical creature, a “Qilin,” along with “LNG Esports.”
- On May 22, game publisher Valve Corporation announced that the company is currently developing a standalone Dota Auto Chess game. It should be noted that the company registered a new trademark, “Dota Underlords,” on May 6.
