2023 Global Esports Conference to be held in Shanghai: What does "Esports Entering Asia" mean? Brand | Esports | Global
Shanghai is undoubtedly one of the most vibrant Chinese cities in the esports industry. On July 28th, the 2023 Global Esports Conference with the theme of "Connecting the World and Creating Extraordinary Competition" was held in Shanghai, and another heavyweight event - the Fist Game Fearless Contract Master Competition - announced its settlement in Shanghai. The consecutive settlement of top esports events has driven the agglomeration of the esports ecosystem industry and helped Shanghai move towards the "global esports capital".
"Shanghai has the most concentrated esports enterprises in China and even around the world - clubs, game production companies, and event hosting companies, attracting more similar companies and related talents to find employment, promoting industry exchanges, improving public service efficiency, reducing public service costs, and increasing industry output." Wang Chenfan, President of the Global Business Group of Hero Sports VSPO, said, "As a first tier city, Shanghai has strong cultural inclusiveness, and esports is an emerging industry highly integrated with technology. Shanghai has a good capacity."
Every three Chinese people, there is one esports user
"When it comes to esports, I used to think it was a niche topic in the gaming industry, where rules and directions could be set behind closed doors. Today, every practitioner should have a clear understanding that esports has become one of the most promising and dynamic sectors in the global digital economy," said Ding Lei, CEO of NetEase. In September of this year, e-sports will appear as an official competition at the 19th Asian Games. Undoubtedly, the entry of esports into Asia will drive the public to have a more objective and in-depth understanding of esports, and will also provide important opportunities for the international development of China's esports industry.
At the Global Esports Conference, the "January June 2023 China Esports Industry Report" was released. Data shows that from January to June this year, the cities hosting offline esports events in China were concentrated in the eastern and southern coastal areas, with Shanghai, Chengdu, and Suzhou ranking in the top three. As of June this year, there are a total of 191 esports clubs available for query in China, of which more than 10 are located in the three major cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Shanghai is far ahead in terms of the number, with as many as 52.
In the first half of this year, due to the long-term operation of top esports products, the emergence of new esports products, and the strong return of competition activities, the recovery of China's esports industry has become a trend. From January to June, the overall revenue of China's esports industry was 75.993 billion yuan, a month on month increase of 11.74%. At the same time, China's esports industry continues to expand its overseas markets, and the influence of events held in Southeast Asia and other regions has been expanding year by year. Some events have become one of the most popular esports events in Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries, with a peak number of single spectators for top events exceeding 4.2 million. Domestic esports products have also been successfully selected as official events for the Southeast Asian Games.
"In recent years, going abroad has become an important process. Shanghai esports event operators, represented by Hero Sports VSPO, have been actively promoting the export of domestic high standards overseas since five years ago, hoping to promote the common development and prosperity of the global esports industry." Wang Chenfan said.
Ding Lei described that today, out of every three Chinese people, there is one esports user. NetEase alone holds over 3000 esports matches annually, equivalent to hosting over a dozen Chinese Super League matches. "In just two months, China's esports venues, technology, and talents will also be showcased at the Asian Games, receiving global scrutiny and attention." In his view, facing this development opportunity, it is necessary to polish the "golden signboard" of Chinese originality. "Original esports events such as" Eternal Sorrow "and" The Fifth Personality "have attracted participants from more than 30 countries around the world, with hundreds of millions of viewers. In the global esports market, we need to create more products for Chinese people and Chinese enterprises." Currently, NetEase's esports brand TopClans, which operates in Southeast Asia, has become one of the most influential esports brands in Southeast Asia. ". In the future, NetEase will also export its innovative models to regions such as the Middle East, Europe, and South America, sharing China's experience with the world.
Opportunities and challenges coexist in the entry of esports into Asia
Hou Miao, Vice President of Tencent Games and General Manager of Tencent Esports, still remembers that in 2003, shortly after he joined the industry, esports was officially listed as the 99th sport in China. This year, esports will officially debut at the Asian Games, spanning 20 years.
For the rapid internationalization of esports, this will not be the pinnacle of history, but a new starting point. In Hou Miao's view, the first official entry of esports into the Asian Games is undoubtedly the most positive signal released by international esports. This year, the cooperation between various manufacturers and clubs has become closer, and they have successively completed the selection and recommendation of participants for the national training team, as well as the announcement of the Asian Games version and competition rules. Not long ago, four national training teams officially made their debut and took a solemn oath. "Starting from the Asian Games, the sports and standardization of esports will enter a new stage, and more and more esports standards and norms will be widely applied internationally."
Wang Chenfan said that the Asian Games have received widespread attention, which will attract a large number of social audiences to cast curious eyes on the industry. The combination of esports and the Asian Games is also a way for society to popularize the understanding of what esports is. "It can be imagined that after the Asian Games, Chinese esports will enter the next golden period of rapid development."
In the view of Tang Jiajun, Deputy Secretary General of the China Association of Audiovisual and Digital Publishing, the formulation of esports standards should be put into a global perspective, which will help esports go global. "The cultivation of esports talents, standardized management of esports, direct broadcasting, esports education, etc. all need industry attention. A game usually has a lifecycle, and we need more high-quality original game esports products to meet market demand. We need to focus on the source products."
On the world stage, the World Cup, Premier League, and others represent football, while the NBA represents basketball. Ding Lei called for: "In the field of Chinese esports, we need and are calling for a brand to represent China and go out as soon as possible, connecting talents, events, and culture from all over the world."
To promote international exchange and cooperation in the Chinese esports industry, the China Esports Industry Research Institute signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Brazilian National Esports Association and the Pan American Esports Federation at the conference. In the future, both sides will extensively cooperate in research on the esports industry, data application, standard promotion, and brand activity implementation.
The 2023 Global Esports Conference is guided by the China Audio Visual and Digital Publishing Association and the Shanghai Municipal Press and Publication Bureau, and hosted by the Electronic Sports Working Committee of the China Audio Visual and Digital Publishing Association, the China Esports Industry Research Institute, and Shanghai Hanwei Xinheng Exhibition Co., Ltd.
