Professional gaming may be a nascent “sport” in the West, but in parts of East Asia, it’s serious business. Obviously, pro gaming is most entrenched in South Korea, but a couple new partnerships announced yesterday may boost pro gaming’s profile in China, too.
The IGN Pro League (IPL), which is one major international professional gaming league, announced yesterday partnerships with China’s Netease and MarsTV. Both companies will cover future IPL events for a Chinese audience, broadcasting events and also sending reporters to international competitions. The IPL will also be bringing a few Chinese gamers along for the ride at some of its events in other countries throughout this year.
The IPL appears to be focused on two games — Starcraft and League of Legends — both of which are quite popular in China, and Chinese teams are likely to make their presence felt in international competition. As IPL founder David Ting put it: “We look forward to seeing Chinese StarCraft II players and League of Legends teams demonstrate their supreme dominance at IPL 5.”
Sure, these partnerships aren’t exactly the same as getting professional gaming on CCTV Sports; this is still very much a niche thing in China. But increased coverage on Chinese sites can only help expand pro gaming’s popularity, and perhaps someday China will be as game-crazy as its neighbors in Korea.
[PR Newswire via Marketwatch]
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