E-sports industry to spring in Chongqing

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.

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.

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.