eSports, 5G bet big on China game market 
2019-08-02
eSports and 5G technology are expected to become major catalysts of the Chinese game market, industry officials said yesterday.
This year’s ChinaJoy Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, Asia’s top gaming exhibition, kicks off today with more than 350,000 visitors expected to join the four-day game and animation feast. An estimated 60,000 professionals from over 30 countries’ game publishers, related enterprises and institutions will be participating.
In the first six months of 2019, China’s game industry revenue reached 114 billion yuan (US$16.8 billion), an 8.6 percent growth year on year. Shanghai now accounts for a third of the national revenue, according to the China Gaming Industry Report.
The city’s first eSports week will take place at ChinaJoy with the opening ceremony of the 2019 Global eSports Conference to be held tomorrow. Participants will discuss Shanghai and China’s eSports’ policies and its global growth. 
“Shanghai has definitely become a major eSports center nationwide and even in East Asia, thanks to booming game industry development and policy support,” said Robert Xiao, chief executive of Perfect World. The Shenzhen-listed company will hold top eSports events and train eSports talent in Shanghai to build a complete eco-system in the sector, which Xiao called an “NBA in the virtual world.”
Several eSports competitions, including the ChinaJoy Cup and National Electronic Sports Tournament, will be held during the week. In the first six months, China’s eSports revenue reached 46.5 billion yuan, 11.3 percent growth year on year. 
5G is also under the spotlight after the recent issue of licenses nationwide. 
Cloud gaming, which allows players to enjoy games without downloading client ends, will become popular in China, especially in the mobile game sector, according to Deng Tao, global marketing and sales president of Huawei Cloud. It depends on greatly improved 5G speed, Deng said.
With the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China this year, there will also be a section showing China’s growth over the period through digital media. A new event “CHINAJOY ACG CON” will discuss animation, comic and games. 
