Riot Games and Hong Kong-based Kai Tak Sports Park announced that the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Cup will be held at Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong from Feb. 28 - March 1. The Kai Tak Arena has a seating capacity of around 10,000 seats, depending on configuration. This move also represents the first time in the LCK’s history that a final has been held outside South Korea. Further, the top two ranked teams will also earn spots...

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...

Chinese League of Legends esports operator TJ Sports announced the new sponsor list for its 2026 League of Legends Pro League (LPL) First Season, including seven brands: e-commerce platform Jing Dong, apparel brand Li-Ning, condom brand Durex, electric scooter brand Skymotor, Chinese appliance TCL, energy drink Warhorse, and gaming chair AutoFull. It should be noted that the German automobile Mercedes-Benz is not on the list, as well as the Chinese smartphone OPPO and Intel. Mercedes-Benz had sponsored China’s LPL since...

China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) is set to operate with 14 teams in 2026, down from 16, following the confirmed departure of FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) and the apparent absence of Royal Never Give Up (RNG) from the league’s upcoming-season lineup. As of publication, the league’s operator, TJ Sports, has not released a separate public statement detailing RNG’s status. By contrast, FPX’s exit is documented: TJ Sports repurchased FPX’s franchise slot, and FPX ceased participation in the LPL and...

South Korean game publisher Smilegate announced that it would merge its management system from three key entities: Smilegate Holdings, Smilegate Entertainment, and Smilegate RPG. These subsidiaries will be rolled up into a new integrated corporation system called Smilegate Holdings, Inc, effective Jan. 1 2026. Smilegate CEO of Smilegate, Seong Junho, will lead the new integrated corporation. “Through this corporate integration, we have established a foundation to unite all capabilities and resources under a clear vision and business strategy, moving forward...

China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL) operator TJ Sports has reached an agreement with FunPlus Phoenix (FPX) for the organization to leave the league after the 2025 season. FPX will officially cease participation in the LPL and all related competitions on Jan. 1, 2026, as part of a franchise slot buyback initiated by the league. TJ Sports publicly announced the news in a Chinese-language statement on Monday, emphasizing both the voluntary nature of the exit and the collaborative transition...

During the Honor of Kings World Championship Grand Final on Saturday at Beijing, China’s National Stadium (The Bird’s Nest), Tencent announced that the event had reached a Guinness World Record of the largest attendance for an esports event - 62,196 attendees. The announcement was made in the presence of Guinness staff, who were on hand to confirm the milestone. The Honor of Kings World Championship features a total prize pool of ¥70 million RMB ($982,000 USD), with the winner taking...

Chinese electric automotive brand DEEPAL announced on Friday that it signed a sponsorship deal with Chinese esports organization Wolves Esports, becoming the official partner for its Honor of Kings team. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Chongqing, China-based Wolves Esports Honor of Kings team competes in China’s top Honor of Kings competition, the King Pro League (KPL). It should be noted that the team has qualified for the Honor of Kings World Championship grand final and will...

Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase-owned Thunder Fire Group announced that StarCraft II will officially return to Mainland China on Oct. 28. StarCraft II is the last Blizzard Entertainment game title to return to the Chinese market following World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch 2, and Diablo 3. Regarding the StarCraft II esports plan, NetEase announced that it will host a StarCraft II international competition at the Hangzhou Esports Centre from Nov. 29 - 30. The prize money and more details of the...

China’s League of Legends operator TJ Sports announced the partners that have signed on to support the League of Legends World Championship (Worlds 2025) in China, including global partners, Chinese strategic partners, Chinese official partners, and special partners. The event will begin on Tuesday and continue until Nov. 9, featuring global partners AWS, HyperX, Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz, Hewlett Packard (HP), OPPO, and Esports World Cup (EWC); Chinese strategic partner diary brand Momchilovtsi; Chinese official partners Durex, e-commerce brand Jing Dong, Cotti...