Wolves Esports, the esports arm of English Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers, has secured a strategic investment worth tens of millions of yuan from Chongqing Green Development Group (重庆绿发实业集团有限公司), a state-owned enterprise in China’s Bishan District. The funding will accelerate the club’s competitive infrastructure and digital ecosystem, reinforcing its position as a bridge between Western esports expertise and China’s booming market.
Wolves Esports’ parent company, Fosun Sports (复星体育), has aggressively invested in China’s esports landscape since acquiring Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016. The move aligns with Fosun’s broader strategy to leverage traditional sports IPs (like Wolves’ 150-year-old football legacy) to dominate emerging sectors—esports being a crown jewel.
Since planting roots in Chongqing, Wolves Esports has become a case study in esports-driven urban revitalization:
- Trophy Haul: Its Honor of Kings division made history as the first “Deca-Champion” (十冠王), while its Call of Duty: Mobile team clinched China’s first world title in 2023.
- Economic Ripple: Hosting 130+ offline events (2024–2025) drew 200,000 attendees, generated nearly ¥100 million RMB ($14 million USD) in peripheral spending, and racked up 3 billion online impressions.
Central to the investment is Wolves’ ¥200 million ($27.82 million), 10,000-sqm esports arena in Bishan—a futuristic, 2,000-seat venue set to open by late 2025. Dubbed the “Southwest’s first Grade-A esports hub,” it symbolizes Chongqing’s push to rival Shanghai as China’s esports capital. “Wolves’ success isn’t just trophies—it’s about creating jobs, tourism, and a new cultural identity for Chongqing,” shared Ai Yuanpeng (艾远鹏), Chairman of Green Development Group, and Deng Houjun (邓厚鋆), President of Fosun Sports Group, added: “This partnership validates our ‘esports + city’ model. Bishan is our pivot to merge competitive excellence with digital economy growth.