eSports: Tencent (internet services) launches five-year development plan in China

Tencent, a Chinese internet and mobile services company, will launch a five-year plan to develop eSports in China by introducing new leagues, tournaments, setting up new organisations, and by constructing a theme park, announced its subsidiary Tencent eSports on 16/06/2017. The project budget is estimated to be 100bn yuan (€13.07bn).

"Chinese sports authorities will also cooperate closely with Tencent over the next five years to establish unified standards for the industry and platforms for professional game players," said Ding Dong, director of the information center of the State General Administration of Sports in China.

Tencent wants to create a "Gaming City" in collaboration with the city of Wuhu, in the south-east of Anhui province in China (350km west of Shanghai), announced the group in May 2017. The project includes an eSports theme park, an eSports university, a cultural park, an animation park, a cloud data center, and a technology centre.

• Tencent eSports was established in December 2016.
• Tencent owns Riot Games, an American video game publishing and development company…