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E-sports industry to spring in Chongqing
Updated: 2018-04-09
chinadaily
Chongqing is looking to become a major player in the skyrocketing game industry by bringing in the Snake Esports, a well-known pro gaming club, and hosting a series of League of Legends Pro League (LPL) matches.
These matches lit up the Chongqing International Expo Center on April 6.
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| Snake Esports plays at home against Team WE on April 6, 2018. [Photo/cqnews.net] |
The LPL enjoys a roaring popularity nationwide and attracts 240 million fans to follow its tournament on over 300 live-streaming platforms.
As the gaming craze blossoms around China, many leading companies like Baidu and SoftBank are turning their ambitions to the lucrative business of e-sports.
Although in its infancy, the booming game industry will attract tens of thousands of spectators around the country to Chongqing, not to mention generating billions of views online.
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| Young spectators cheer for their home team during the games. [Photo/cqnews.net] |
"With so many enthusiasts in Chongqing, our course will rise from strength to strength," said Lu Yingqiu, COO of Snake Esports. To add momentum in the surging e-sports market, governments should implement supporting policies and gaming clubs need to seek win-win cooperation with local enterprises, according to Lu.
Last year, the International Olympic Committee recognized e-sports as an official sporting event in November while the Olympic Council of Asia announced on April 17 that e-sports will be part of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The market value of China's e-sports sector last year totaled 20 billion yuan (about $3 billion) via copyright distribution, offline merchandise and online commerce, according to the 2017 China Game Industry Report released by Penguin Intelligence.
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