Esports industry in Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province has grown rapidly in recent years, attracting international organizers, esports professionals and enthusiasts to experience the vibrant esports environment.
As one of the world's premier esports tournaments, the Intel Extreme Master (IEM) 2024 Chengdu boasted impressive data. The three-day tickets sold out in a minute, though it cost nearly 4,000 yuan (more than 500 U.S. dollars).
"It's very notable for us to see that comparing to 2019 to 24, a lot has changed, and the fans are very passionate and hungry to get this international competition, and that's of course something that makes us happy," said Marc Winther, head of Game Ecosystems for Counter-Strike at ESL.
People may wonder why this international event is taking place in Chengdu, but not in megacities like Beijing and Shanghai. Chen Hongyu, co-founder of The Esports Advocate gave his answer.
"There are plenty of esports organizations based in Chengdu. There are also outstanding game publishers such as Tencent TiMi studio. And secondly, I think public transportation and population are key to esports infrastructures," said Chen.
Chen said that the number of residents in Chengdu grew rapidly in the past few years. And the younger generation is willing to accept new things like devoting themselves to the esports industry.
Data from the Sichuan Esports Association showed that there are over three million gamers in Chengdu. That's why tickets for esports events are in such high demand.
Esports enterprises are also developing well. Liu Yehang, president of Sichuan Esports Association, said that since 2020, Chengdu has been introducing supportive measures to build an "esports cultural capital."
"Chengdu wants to create an area where esports is concentrated from the upstream, middle and downstream," said Chen.
While keeping the industry growing, Chengdu also focuses on cultivating talents. At a training school affiliated with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, students are provided with professional coaches and academic qualifications.
The training base serves not only esports players but also offers lessons for related majors to support the entire ecosystem.
"Besides focusing on esports, we've also integrated technical courses, such as game development and game animation design. We're even planning to introduce drone training courses soon," said Yang Fan, dean of eXsporting the Beyond.
In addition to the industry itself, the whole ecosystem of esports is developing such as more and more esports-themed hotels and cultural and creative products.
Industry insiders, however, have noted that the business models still need improvement.
"Besides its upstream sectors like gaming and live streaming, self-sufficiency and the exploration of a new business model in the esports industry are the two core challenges," said Zhang Zi, CEO of Tyloo Gaming.
Chengdu emerges as hub for rapidly growing esports industry
