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- DreamHack is currently exploring its interests in running a festival in China in 2020.
- Christoffer Melin, head of operations, attended a local press conference in the city of Wuhan to announce the company’s interest in the region.
- The partnership between DreamHack and a local partner in Wuhan is still strictly in the discussion phase, a spokesperson confirmed to The Esports Observer.
On July 23, Christoffer Melin, the head of operations at Swedish digital festival company DreamHack AB , attended a local press conference in Wuhan. The company is currently exploring event opportunities in the Chinese city, a spokesperson confirmed to The Esports Observer.
“We have started talks with a local partner in Wuhan and also announced our interest via a local press conference in the region,” said Per Sjölin, press and PR manager for DreamHack. “We are still in the discussion phase, further looking into the possibilities of running a DreamHack Wuhan in 2020.”
Several Chinese media outlets reported on the partnership between DreamHack AB and a local company from Wuhan, however, Sjölin stressed that an event had not been set yet. “Future communications, if a contract is signed and DreamHack Wuhan is locked in, will be sent out in an official press release,” he said.
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DreamHack AB was founded in 1994, and over its 25 years has expanded from running pure LAN festivals to also hosting esports events. The company is fully owned by Swedish media company Modern Times Group (MTG), which acquired DreamHack AB in 2015 for SEK 244M ($28.1M USD at the time). MTG also owns majority shares (82.48%) of Turtle Entertainment, the parent company of esports tournament organizer ESL .
Both MTG companies have shown interest in hosting events in China. In June ESL signed a partnership deal with the Beijing Haidian government and revealed plans to establish an office in Beijing. At the DreamHack Masters Dallas event, a promo video teased an Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Beijing event taking place in November, however, ESL has so far declined to comment on this.