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The Electronics Sports Committee of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association released a report stating that China currently has about 490 million esports fans, the largest user base in the world.
China itself is known to have the most esports users in the world. The sector is experiencing a sustained and stable domestic and international expansion.
Reporting from China Daily, China experienced growth. Domestic esports games recorded a total revenue of 69.14 billion yuan ($9.54 billion) in the first six months, up 7.24 percent year-on-year. National non-gaming esports revenue grew 4.43 percent on an annual basis to 12.03 billion yuan. Esports live streaming accounts for the largest share, 79.45 percent.
President Xi Jinping targets this massive growth through programs that are full of China’s ambitions in mastering the “digital future.” China’s move to become number one in the world starts from the bottom, targeting the grassroots, which is also connected to the domestic market. In parallel, it also cooperates with other countries to expand.
Supporting Rural and Connecting with Urban Areas
Over the past two years, Tencent Holdings, China’s leading technology company, has collaborated with many villages and cities across the Country to develop games and host esports tournaments.
One targeted village is Wuzhen, an area in Zhejiang province, East China. Tencent held the Cun Games or Village E-games tournament.
They plan to launch the Peace Elite League, a tournament that originated from Game for Peace.
Game for Peace is the most popular e-game, with 200 million registered users and 50 million daily active players. The Cun Games tournament itself is considered a powerful tool for rural revitalization.
Industry experts say the tournament will feature a blend of cutting-edge technology and rural charm. It also hints at a broader trend of how games can redefine economic and cultural narratives in China’s core region.
For Tenchen, the Cun Games is more than just a tournament. This is a proper and effective strategy to connect the countryside with the growing gaming industry.
According to a report from the China Game Publishing Committee and a research institute, China’s game industry has achieved a record high in revenue. It reached 91.77 billion yuan ($12.66 billion) in the third quarter of 2024, funding an 8.95 percent year-on-year increase.
When hosting tournaments in the countryside, Tencent always pairs them with local markets or cultural events. During the tournament, villagers can sell their agricultural products, handicrafts, and even tourism services.
Cun Games is said to have succeeded in bringing innovation where they can make people feel more familiar and close to rural areas. Which indirectly, is a promotion of the rural area itself. This step also challenges stereotypes about rural life being cut off from modernity.
Expanding Network to the Middle East
At the 2024 Wuzhen World Internet Summit, President Xi Jinping said China is open to working with countries worldwide to build cyberspace communities to share the internet to better benefit society and the world.
Xi called for efforts to embrace the digital, internet-based, innovative development trend. This he stated to achieve the target of a brighter “digital future”.
Following the plan, Tencent Cloud from China launched its first Middle East Cloud Region in Saudi Arabia in February 2025. The company will provide two availability zones with full redundancy, advanced cloud services, and AI capabilities.
This new availability zone is expected to be operational in 2025. The zone can integrate Saudi Arabia into Tencent Cloud’s global network of more than 50 zones in 21 regions.
This enables the delivery of a suite of Software as a Service (SaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS) solutions, including advanced analytics, AI, digital media innovation, superapp technology, and more.
The Cloud Region will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation efforts across key sectors, including digital media and streaming, video games, esports, e-commerce, tourism, financial services, telecommunications, and more.
This step also supports the significant role of both countries in the esports industry in their respective nations. Saudi Arabia has just hosted the Esports World Cup in August 2024.
They are also reported to be implementing a series of plans to enhance infrastructure to support the rapidly growing esports industry in their country, given that their esports players frequently benefit the nation.
