2.1 Honor of Kings
“Honor of Kings” is a hero-based competitive mobile game developed by Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group, launched on November 26, 2015. It has built a complete esports brand system covering professional events, mass events, comics, animation, movies, derivative games, derivative variety shows, and offline themed experience spaces. The IP connects global professional esports brands while reaching the general public as a cultural brand. Leveraging its content production potential and IP linkage advantages, Honor of Kings has cooperated with 55 brands and IPs, enhancing its brand image and expanding its audience. In 2018, the Honor of Kings Champions Cup invited global teams to participate for the first time. In 2021, the Honor of Kings International Championship (AIC) was launched by merging the international versions of Honor of Kings and Arena of Valor, further improving its global competitive system. According to Sensor Tower data, Honor of Kings has generated a total revenue of USD 2.74 billion on the App Store and Google Play’ global markets, ranking as the world’s top-grossing mobile game since 2020, with 6% of the revenue coming from overseas markets. The overseas version, “Honor of Kings”, officially launched in September 2022. In terms of national popularity, Honor of Kings organizes the National Competition, Women’s Open, and Collegiate League to lower participation barriers and increase esports popularity. The game has nearly 250 million registered users with extremely high national penetration. Culturally, Honor of Kings collaborates with traditional cultural IPs such as the Dunhuang Academy and Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe to create Chinese-style events and character designs, strengthening cultural depth while offering a channel for users to engage with traditional culture. Professionally, its esports structure includes global and national leagues, with the King Pro League (KPL) as the highest-level national league since 2016. The league system has continued to improve, expanding to 18 clubs, and supporting the development of more than 20 top-tier esports organizations. The audience scale is also massive: data from streaming platforms shows that the 2021 KPL Spring Split attracted 13 million viewers per season, with 2.46 million active viewers, 10.448 million bullet comments, USD 124.7K in live-stream tipping, and 522K new followers — demonstrating diverse and widespread viewer engagement.
2.2 Game for Peace
“Game for Peace” is a tactical competitive mobile game developed independently by Tencent’s LightSpeed & Quantum Studio Group, officially launched on May 8, 2019. In terms of globalization, early in 2019, the PEC Peace Elite International Championship became the first tactical shooter esports event to feature overseas teams, indicating a high level of internationalization. It also hosts the PSI International Streamer Invitational, further expanding its overseas audience. According to Sensor Tower, Game for Peace (PUBG Mobile) has generated more than USD 7 billion in global revenue on the App Store and Google Play. Nationally, the game introduced the National League system in 2022, integrating city events, college leagues, enterprise leagues, elite leagues, and licensed events into collegiate, city, platform, ecological wildcard, and mass participation circuits, establishing a bridge between the general public and professional esports. Culturally, the game blends traditional Chinese cultural elements with diverse in-game maps and storylines — such as collaborations with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oceanology, integrating elements such as dragon dances, Miao theaters, and Xi’an City Wall to connect players with cultural and tourism experiences. Professionally, the Peace Elite League (PEL) is the top-tier official league, created in 2019. The league continues to evolve with a franchise-style structure launched in 2022, integrating clubs with league and event operations, moving toward a traditional sports league model. In terms of audience scale, the game has over 100 million monthly active users in China, with esports influence rapidly growing. According to Tencents marketing director and PEL co-chairman Liao Kan, the 2023 Spring Finals achieved an average daily viewership of 40 million — a 161% increase — demonstrating surging engagement and community presence.
2.3 League of Legends
“League of Legends” is a MOBA PC game developed by Riot Games and published by Tencent Games in China. It launched in North America on October 27, 2009, and in mainland China on September 22, 2011. According to Bianews, the League of Legends IP has expanded into games, esports, music, comics, novels, and merchandise with more than 200 derivative products. Esports Meta statistics show that in 2022, the LPL had 14 official sponsors, and including club partners, the total number of brand collaborators reached 72. In March 2021, WikiMili ranked League of Legends 39th among the world’s top 50 highest-grossing IPs, with a total revenue of USD 12.4 billion. Globally, League of Legends has twelve professional leagues including LPL (China) and LCK (Korea), with over 800 professional players and 100+ professional teams vying each year for spots in the World Championship. According to SuperData, LL revenue grew from USD 1.29 million in 2009 to USD 85 million in 2011, driven mainly by cosmetic sales. In 2020, it earned USD 1.75 billion, ranking sixth among free-to-play games worldwide. Culturally, the Chinese server incorporates local cultural elements in events and promotions while the LPL broadcasts in multiple languages, spreading Chinese esports culture globally. Professionally, since 2013, the game has built a complete esports system — regional leagues at the base, leading up to Worlds, MSI, and All-Star at the top. The league system adopted franchise and sports-style structures since 2015, with continued ecosystem improvements. In terms of audience and player scale, as of October 2022, League of Legends had 32 million monthly active users, 12 million daily active users, and a peak concurrency of 5 million. The 2022 Worlds (S12) peaked at 5.14 million viewers globally, ranking #1 that year. In 2021, EDG vs. DK in the S11 Finals reached 4.01 million overseas peak viewers. In China, the Bilibili broadcast achieved nearly 500 million peak popularity, with over 20% year-over-year growth in total live views.
2.4 Dota 2
“Dota 2” is a multiplayer online battle arena game developed by Valve. Its predecessor, DotA, originated as a custom Warcraft III map. Development began in 2009, and in September 2015, Dota 2 shifted to the Source 2 engine — becoming the first game to adopt the new engine. The game has inspired various merchandise and allows community-created content uploaded to Steam Workshop. Valve has also developed two derivative games: “Artifact” (2018) and “Dota Underlords” (2019). As an imported title in China, it is published by Perfect World. The Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) structure divides competitions into six global regions including North America, China, and Southeast Asia. The flagship event is The International (TI), founded in 2011, famous for its massive prize pool funded by in-game battle pass purchases. To build a continuous professional ecosystem, Valve introduced DPC regional leagues and Majors to supplement TI’s cup-only format. DPC seasons typically run from fall to summer with three tours each year, with teams collecting points to qualify for TI. Domestically, Dota 2 lacks grassroots competition systems supporting bottom-up talent development. Culturally, Chinese-themed heroes such as Monkey King were added, using the game’s global influence to promote Chinese culture. In terms of audience and player scale, SteamSpy reports that Dota 2 has exceeded 100 million total players with a monthly active peak of over 1 million. TI11 Group Stage saw over 23 million hours watched on overseas platforms, with an average of 443K viewers and a peak of 680.9K viewers on opening day.
2.5 Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2
“Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2” is a real-time strategy online game released by Hangzhou Dianhun Network Technology Co., Ltd., based on the Three Kingdoms story background and integrating RTS elements into an RPG-style online game. It was officially launched for public beta on March 26, 2015. Built upon the foundation of the original “Dream Three Kingdoms,” the sequel improves graphics and controls, and remains interoperable with the original game in terms of accounts and data. After its launch, Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2 established a more professional MPL league system based on the original esports foundation, integrating seasonal operations and building its own esports brand. In terms of overseas expansion, as early as 2011 during the Dream Three Kingdoms era, the game entered Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries with good results. Although its overseas influence later declined, Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2 has once again been exploring global markets, launching on the Steam platform on September 1, 2022 for further preparation. Professionally, the Dream Three Kingdoms esports system consists of two major competition sectors and eight event systems, including official events (professional league, national league, cup tournaments, entertainment star matches) and cooperative events (third-party partner cups, championship cups, internet café leagues, professional invitationals). It has established a tiered professional structure — MPL professional league, MSPL secondary league, and events such as the Ice and Snow Cup. In addition to official tournaments, Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2 also collaborates with large third-party competitions such as NEST. For grassroot participation, the game launched mass-oriented competitions such as the Wushuang Cup, SOLO Elite Challenge, Flame Demon Battlefield, and Legion Conquest. Ordinary players can register for the Wushuang Cup, advance to MSPL, and further qualify for MPL through upper-tier leagues, forming a pathway from amateur to professional. Culturally, Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2 has partnered with national scenic attractions such as Laojun Mountain, Huashan, and Riverside Scene at Qingming Theme Park, jointly exploring the “culture and tourism + esports” model — building esports-themed attractions like “Huashan Duel” and “Oath of the Peach Garden,” while hosting in-game events tied to attractions for cultural promotion. The new competitive version integrates traditional sports gameplay such as running, gymnastics, and archery, blending esports, athletics, and Chinese aesthetics along with Three Kingdoms characters and history. The game has also innovated in digital products, releasing collectible series such as the Five Tiger Generals and Heroic Women. In terms of audience and player scale, Dream of Three Ancient Kingdoms 2 has accumulated more than 280 million registered users in China and abroad, with over 1,000 esports teams. During the “2021 Entertainment Star Season,” the official Huya livestream room reached a peak popularity of 3.2 million on opening day.
2.6 Street Fighter V
“Street Fighter V” is a 3D fighting game launched in 2016 by Capcom and other companies, continuing the story line of the Street Fighter series. As a core entry in the franchise, Street Fighter V inherits classic 2D fighting mechanics and continues the series’ strong brand appeal and fanbase across generations worldwide. According to Capcom’s Platinum Titles report, as of June 30, 2022, the game has sold 6.6 million units, making it the best-selling home console Street Fighter title — surpassing Street Fighter II’s 6.3 million units. Developed by Capcom and Dimps, it released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2016, followed by the Arcade Edition in 2018 and Champion Edition in 2020. Character merchandise, films, TV series, and related games constitute a rich IP ecosystem that expands and reinforces the brand. In terms of overseas performance, data from early 2016 shows the game ranked 4th in Japan, first in the UK PS4 physical sales chart, and fifth in the U.S. PlayStation Store download rankings. It was the 7th best-selling retail game in the U.S. in February 2016 per NPD. The Arcade Edition launched in January 2018 in Japan and the U.S., and later in Europe. In January 2019, it ranked 12th in Japan, 23rd in the UK physical charts. The second major update, Champion Edition, released on February 14, 2020, and was updated again in May 2020 and December 2021. It was nominated for Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2020. In June 2020, Champion Edition ranked 11th then 24th in Japan over its first two weeks, 37th in the UK, and 5th on the U.S. DLC charts. Nationally, the game has sold 6.6 million units as of June 2022. Its Arcade Edition holds a Metacritic score of 87/100 with widespread praise from IGN, GameSpot, Hardcore Gamer, and EGM (all rating 9/10), noting its transformation into a refined experience. It was also nominated for several fan-favorite fighting game awards. Culturally, China appears repeatedly in the series, with iconic characters like Chun-Li and stage settings including the Great Wall, Taiping Road Shopping District, Victoria Harbour, Kowloon Park, etc. China is among the countries featured in nearly every Street Fighter game, similar to Japan and the United States. Professionally, Street Fighter V set a record for most registered participants in a single EVO event in 2016, with over 5,000 players. Major esports events include FAV CUP, EVO, BLINK RESPAWN, FV Major, King of the Sticks, and Kumite in Tennessee, among others. Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) covers North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia. The game is highly competitive, designed to enhance esports watchability and accessibility. Top Chinese players include XiaoHai, Weili, JieWa, XiaoHu, DaShenBeiBei, Beibei, DaKou, and Abao. At EVO 2022, Street Fighter V recorded a peak audience of 250,730 viewers. Accurate player-to-viewer comparison figures are currently unavailable.
2.7 FIFA Online 4
“FIFA Online 4” is a football competitive online game developed by EA and published in China by Tencent, featuring official licenses from FIFA, the World Cup, and the Chinese Super League. It launched on June 11, 2018. Compared with the previous generation, this adaptation of the classic FIFA IP offers more innovation — upgraded graphics and physics enhance realism and immersion, while maintaining entertaining and competitive gameplay. Most notably, it received exclusive rights to the 2018 World Cup and introduced a “World Cup Mode,” offering an interactive experience aligned with the real-world event. Internationally, the EA Champions Cup (EACC), first held in 2014, is the earliest international esports tournament for FIFA Online and is organized by ONE Esports and EA. Renamed in 2015 and officially standardized in 2016, EACC is now held twice per year, where top professional teams across Asia compete for regional dominance and qualification into FIFA Esports Intercontinental Cup finals. Domestically, Tencent leverages its strong ecosystem to expand engagement — from campus events reaching grassroots players, to nationwide promotion and establishment of a broader esports ecosystem that deepens user stickiness through sports-style competition. Culturally, FIFA Online 4 combines traditional sports culture with gaming and esports to promote football culture and athletic spirit among younger audiences, expanding the connection between traditional sports and digital entertainment. Professionally, Tencent launched the first FSL league in 2015, marking the start of FIFA esports. It now operates a four-tier pyramid system covering International events (EACC), professional leagues (FSL & FCC), semi-pro events (CEFL), and mass-participation events (TGA & City Tournaments). FSL has become one of the most influential football esports competitions in China. In terms of audience, as a sports-themed title, many viewers overlap with traditional sports spectators. Meanwhile, younger sports fans influenced by the game and its esports ecosystem are increasingly transitioning into esports viewers.