Digital News

　　“By 2026, China’s e-sports market is projected to exceed 300 billion yuan, driving the scale of related industries beyond one trillion yuan and becoming a key growth engine for China’s digital economy,” revealed Li Xiaolei, Vice Chairman of the China Culture Administration Association, at the International E-sports Development Forum during the Global Digital Economy Conference 2025. The data have drawn widespread attention to China’s booming e-sports industry.

　　According to the 2024 China E-sports Industry Report, the number of e-sports users in China has reached 490 million in 2024. The 2024 Global E-sports Industry Development Report indicates that four Chinese cities, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, rank among the top ten in the global e-sports city influence index.

　　China’s e-sports industry chain is continuously extending. From game R&D, equipment upgrades, and event operations to e-sports education and the development of derivative products, the industry is fostering vast business opportunities and employment prospects.

　　At the upstream level, domestic game production has achieved significant improvements, propelling accelerated growth in the gaming sector. 

　　In recent years, games such as Black Myth: Wukong, Honor of Kings, Game for Peace, and Valorant have not only been critically and commercially successful in China but have also captivated global audiences.

　　The 2025 Q1 China Gaming Industry Quarterly Report shows that China’s gaming market generated revenues of 85.704 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2025, marking a year-on-year growth of 17.99%. Overseas sales of games independently developed by China reached USD 4.805 billion, up 17.92% from the same period last year.

　　At the midstream level, e-sports event operations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with the event economy showing robust vitality.

　　“Every match held at the Beijing Smart E-sports Event Center is nearly fully booked, with tickets for major events selling out in seconds,” said Li Fuxin, responsible person for park operations at Shangyicheng (Beijing) Technology and Culture Group Co., Ltd., which manages the venue. Currently, the Center attracts an average of 2,500 visitors per event and over 20,000 visitors monthly, also stimulating consumption in related industries.

　　Wang Qingwei, Dean of the School of Sports Management and Communication at Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, noted that e-sports is an inevitable product of the digital economy, a future-oriented industry, and the digital era. Hosting e-sports events can spur network upgrades and accelerate the adoption of technologies like 6G.

　　At the downstream level, e-sports is increasingly integrated with culture, tourism, and commerce, continuously generating a multiplier effect that boosts consumption.

　　In August 2024, the launch of Black Myth: Wukong sparked a tourism craze with the “Travel Shanxi with Wukong” activity, igniting a nationwide trend of exploring ancient Chinese architecture. Local governments are actively leveraging this momentum, striving to transform the online “gaming effect” into a “long-term visitor retention” for the offline cultural and tourism market.

　　Pu Guannan, Founder and CEO of Beijing Starscape Software Co., Ltd., stated, “We are currently refining a sci-fi AAA console game and plan to further deepen the integration of digital technology with cultural and creative industries in the future.”

　　As a field that integrates culture, technology, and sports, the development of the e-sports industry cannot thrive without strong policy support.

　　Policies such as “promoting the extensive and deep integration of digital technology into all aspects of economic, social, and industrial development” and “supporting the development of e-sports, social e-commerce, and live-stream e-commerce” illustrate how, at the national level, a series of policies have been introduced to encourage digital technology advancement, providing solid backing for the e-sports industry.

　　Today, Shanghai stands as the world’s first city to have hosted all three of the top-tier international e-sports events: The International, DOTA2 Championships, the League of Legends World Championship Series, and the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024. Meanwhile, the Beijing Olympic beach volleyball venue located in Chaoyang Park has undergone a comprehensive renovation, transforming into the largest professional e-sports arena in the Beijing region, with a total floor area of approximately 42,000 square meters and plans to host over 100 e-sports events annually in the future.

　　In addition, China’s Ministry of Education has incorporated the discipline of E-sports Management into the curriculum of higher education institutions, while the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has officially listed e-sports professionals and e-sports operations specialists in the occupational classification dictionary, marking e-sports as a formally recognized profession. Wang Guoji, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Culture Administration Association and Director of its E-sports Work Committee, commented: “These proactive measures from relevant authorities have laid a vital foundation for the growth of the e-sports sector.”

　　At the same time, many regions across China are accelerating their layout of the e-sports industry and rolling out a series of supportive policies.

　　- Improving Quality and Shortening Cycles of Publication Review: Beijing recently issued the Interim Measures to Support the High-quality Development of the Gaming and E-sports Industry, which calls for enhanced guidance in the application process for domestically developed online games, shorter review cycles, an increase in expert reviewers, and an overall improvement in approval efficiency and quality.

　　- Driving Industry Growth through Substantial Incentives: Earlier this year, Jimei District in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, released the Interim Measures for Promoting High-quality Industrial Development in Jimei District (2025). The policy grants a reward of 100,000 yuan for each original game that receives a license and launches domestically within the same year. Additional incentives are available for both domestic launches and overseas expansions of the same title, with each company eligible for up to 300,000 yuan annually.

　　- Upgrading the Industrial Ecosystem: Regions such as Lingshui in Hainan Province and Foshan in Guangdong Province are integrating e-sports events with cultural and tourism resources to cultivate regional e-sports IPs. Meanwhile, cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen are striving to become “international e-sports capitals,” establishing comprehensive development strategies that range from venue construction and club attraction to full-scale industrial chain integration.

　　Moreover, in response to challenges arising during the industry’s growth, relevant laws and regulations are being continually improved. These include the ongoing regulation of the online gaming market, tighter content oversight, intensified crackdowns on unauthorized servers and cheating software, restrictions on minors’ online gaming time, and revisions to game mechanics that may induce addiction, constantly promoting the healthy development of the e-sports industry.