The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Chinese game publisher Tencent have jointly announced a ten-year partnership in esports, naming Tencent Esports as the “official esports technology partner” of OCA. The partnership aims to propel the integration of esports and traditional sports into a new phase over the next decade, jointly shaping the future landscape of Asian esports, according to Tencent’s announcement.
Financial terms of this deal were not disclosed.
Under the terms of this deal, Tencent Esports will upgrade its technical capabilities to launch the Tencent Esports Competition System (ECS) for upcoming OCA esports competitions, drawing on previous experience at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. The system will ensure competitions run under fair, stable, and efficient standards. Tencent Esports will also provide technical solutions to assist in the digital transformation of major Asian esports tournaments.
It’s not clear how Tencent Esports can drop its technical solutions to other non-Tencent-titled esports competitions.
The 20th Asian Games will be held in Japan’s Aichi and Nagoya, featuring 11 medal events in esports and 13 game titles including Street Fighter, Tekken, King of Fighter, Pokémon Unite, Honor of Kings, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), Identity V (Asian Games version), Naraka: Bladepoint, Gran Turismo 7, eFootball Series, and Puyo Puyo Champions. It should be noted that MLBB is developed by Tencent rival Moonton; Identity V and Naraka: Bladepoint are developed by NetEase.
In addition, Yati Zhang, director of Tencent Esports, has been appointed as the OCA esports manager, and she will play a vital role in co-constructing the Asian esports event system and in developing the ecosystem.
