This week in Chinese esports: BMW, Formula 1

Each week, Esports Insider brings together the biggest headlines from the esports industry in China. This week in Chinese esports saw Formula 1 launch an esports series, FunPlus Phoenix partner with BMW, and Chengdu plan further esports development.

Formula 1 kicks off 2020 F1 Esports Series China Championship

Formula 1 kicked off its 2020 F1 Esports Series China Championship with a pre-season event. Besides retaining the qualification, regional finals, and the grand final in the 2020 season, F1 Esports also introduced a brand-new Pro League this season, which is a 22-race online championship with the same point scoring mechanic as the Formula One World Championship.

F1 Esports also launched its Virtual Chinese Grand Prix on the same day.

BMW enters partnership with FunPlus Phoenix

German automotive giant BMW announced deals with five esports organisations, including Chinese brand FunPlus Phoenix.

The partnership is an expansion of BMW’s global efforts in esports and will see the automotive company will utilise its expertise to assist the teams to improve their efforts.

Chengdu discusses the development plan to boost local esports industry

The Chengdu Government conducted a meeting to discuss the development of its local esports industry. According to an announcement, the government will reward 1 million (£110,000) or 3 million RMB (£340,000) to local esports companies whose revenues exceeded over 5 million (£570,000) or 10 million RMB (£1.15 million) in the past two years.

Additionally, the Chengdu Government will integrate the local esports industry with tourism, exhibition, and music by hosting multiple esports events throughout the year.

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