China’s strict Covid-19 control measures, not video game licensing curbs, are wreaking havoc on esports market, insiders say

Strict pandemic controls make it tough for esports competition organisers to stage offline events, host audiences and communicate with various clubs. By contrast, esports events in the United States, such as the EVO 2022 Tekken 7 tournament in Las Vegas, have been drawing large audiences. — SCMP

China’s esports market, which is the world’s largest, has taken a hit from the country’s rigid Covid-19 control measures, according to industry insiders, while being little affected by licensing restrictions on new video games.

The struggle to keep esports alive and kicking in the world’s largest video gaming market has been particularly tough in terms of staging offline events in cities, hosting audiences and communicating with various clubs because of ongoing pandemic controls, according to Zhao Mingyi, general manager of major game publisher NetEase’s esports unit, which was started in 2017 and now has more than 300 employees.