Photo: Courtesy of organizers
Asia's first international comprehensive esports tournament, the HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League (ACL), was officially launched in Shanghai on Wednesday. The event will feature nine top-tier esports titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Honor of Kings.
"As the highest-level and largest international comprehensive esports event in Asia to date, this year's ACL will offer direct qualification spots for the 2025 Esports World Cup [EWC] in the majority of its nine competition titles," ACL CEO Wang Xinyang told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The 2025 Esports World Cup, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be the largest international comprehensive esports event in the world.
According to Wang, the ACL's direct qualification spots for the EWC open the door for Asian players to step onto the global esports stage. This not only provides esports athletes with the opportunity to compete against top international players but also injects new vitality and momentum into the development of esports in China and across Asia.
"By integrating sports with cultural tourism, consumer industries and technology, hosting esports tournaments and events enhances a city's cultural soft power, allowing audiences across Asia and the world to experience China's esports appeal and cultural depth," he noted.
As an emerging sport, esports has witnessed rapid industry growth in recent years, becoming a globally recognized sector with immense market potential.
In 2023, the International Olympic Committee established a new esports commission to explore the future of competitive gaming. That same year, the Hangzhou Asian Games included esports as an official medal event for the first time.
In mid-2024, China successfully initiated the establishment of an esports working group within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), marking it the first-ever ISO working group dedicated to esports. Meanwhile, Hero Esports led the proposal for an international esports standard, which was successfully approved through a project initiation vote.
The establishment of this working group and the successful approval of the international esports standard proposal fill a critical gap in global esports standardization.
"Now that esports are a widely recognized type of sport, thanks to their success at the Asian Games, the Olympic Esports Week, and the Esports World Cup, we believe that international multi-title esports tournaments represent the future of the industry, and the ACL marks a commitment to that future," Dino Ying, founder of the Hero Esports, told the Global Times in a previous interview.
Ying also noted that the hosting of top-tier esports events, particularly the Olympic Esports Games, will be a milestone event for the industry, significantly enhancing the global integration of esports resources.
In recent years, China's esports industry has experienced a rapid growth, becoming a major force in the global esports market. From the global release of Honor of Kings (international edition) to the official inclusion of esports at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Chinese esports is embracing a more open approach to the global stage.
"The rise of China's esports industry is driven by a combination of policy support, market forces and cultural recognition," Shanghai-based gaming industry analyst Zhang Wenhao told the Global Times on Wednesday.
"At the national level, esports have been incorporated into the country's sports industry planning, while local governments are actively developing esports industry clusters, creating a favorable policy environment for growth," he said. "China's massive user base and strong market demand provide ample opportunities for commercial expansion in the esports sector."
As a new cultural phenomenon, esports are gradually gaining mainstream acceptance, becoming an important medium for young people to express themselves and connect with the world.
The ACL Grand Finals will take place in Shanghai from May 16 to 18, organizers said.
