& # 039; Something like the NBA & # 039;: Esports Mount Full Court Press in China
& # 039; Something like the NBA & # 039;: Esports Mount Full Court Press in China
HANGZHOU, China: Video games are under harsh focus from government regulators in China these days, but part of the market is growing despite dazzling video game competitions for viewers.
These contests, known as sports, often feature two teams of players who face each other in battle games like "Honor of Kings" in front of live crowds that can add up to thousands, with many more fans that broadcast the matches online. Nearly 135 million people now see sports in China, according to Newzoo gaming research firm, more than double that of 2015.
According to people in the industry, at least a dozen cities in China have built or are building places dedicated to sports, which usually host from a few hundred to several thousand fans. Last year, more than 40,000 people attended Beijing's Bird 'Nest stadium to watch the final match of the League of Legends World Championship.
"China will be the fastest growing part of our business when it comes to property growth," said Jud Hannigan, executive director of Allied Esports International, a company based in Newport Beach, California, which builds sports venues and organizes events. . Allied Esports has already built four venues in China and aims for more in the future, Hannigan said.
But the recent Beijing suppress new releases of video games has thrown the future of the industry to uncertainty.
Local governments see sports venues as a way to stimulate growth and development as China's economy slows down. But the ruling Communist Party has become increasingly concerned about the content of violent games and the amount of time young people play video games.
Regulators have not approved the sale of new titles since March, and industry experts say the freeze could continue until next year.
So far, however, repression has not affected popular sports games such as "League of Legends" or "Dota 2", which are more fantasy-based than graphically violent.
Zheng Zikai, 18, was among the approximately 300 fans who recently attended a League of Legends match in Hangzhou, near Shanghai, to support the local LGD Gaming club in the city. The five-man team played on computers sitting in a row on one half of the stage, while rival team Bilibili Gaming occupied the other half.
For almost an hour, LGD players killed dragons and eliminated armies of enemy henchmen. Each player sat behind a podium on the stage, each of his facial expressions captured in the camera and projected onto screens for the audience. A giant screen on top showed the entire battlefield.
"It's like the NBA," said Mr. Zheng, who paid about 100 yuan ($ 14.40) to attend the game. "It's more exciting in person than watching on a computer."
Wang Chunfeng, a 28-year-old engineer who had traveled two hours by train to the event, said he is a sports enthusiast who sees at least two games a week on his phone. After attending his first live game, he said he now plans to go for more.
"I never exercise and I can not practice any sport," Wang said. "But I can play this game."
The huge Chinese fan base for electronic sports is putting revenues, including sponsorships, advertising and media rights, on track to reach the $ 169 million expected in China this year, from $ 43.2 million in 2015, said Newzoo.
The Mercedes-Benz unit of Daimler AG was the main sponsor of
Tencent Holdings
Limited.
this year for his League of Legends Pro League, known as LPL. The line of luxury vehicles also sponsors the Beijing RNG sports club, whose players wear Mercedes brand shirts. The idea is also to promote the brand of cars among younger customers, said a Mercedes spokeswoman. Corporations like
Intel
Corp.
and the Gillette razor brand of Procter & Gamble Co. have sponsored tournaments or sports teams in China for the same purpose.
Companies like Tencent and
Alibaba Holding Group
Limited.
they are pouring money into sports in the hope of extending the useful life of popular titles and making the industry grow. Alibaba sports arm, Alisports, pressured the International Olympic Committee to include sports as a competitive sport, after convincing the Asian Olympic Council to admit sports as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games and a Medal event in 2022.
"We are trying to push sports like traditional sports," said Jason Fung, global sports director of Alisports. The goal is to make sports become "the greatest sport in the world."
Meanwhile, Tencent is rolling out a city-based franchise system for "League of Legends" and its successful mobile game "Honor of Kings."
LGD Gaming was one of the first clubs selected by Tencent to build home stadiums as part of LPL. Now five have homemade sands: in Hangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Beijing and Xi'an. A sixth team will be based in Beijing next year.
-Lin Zhu contributed to this article.
Write to Shan Li in shan.li@wsj.com
.
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