China Media Group, Esports World Cup and VSPO form strategic partnership

State media company China Media Group, the Esports World Cup Foundation and tournament organiser VSPO have signed a strategic partnership.

According to a release, China Media Group unveiled the National Institute for Esports Development on Friday in Beijing, with the institute then signing a deal with the two companies to jointly organise and participate in future esports events.

The institute will serve to boost China’s layout of the esports industry, enhance its cooperation within the industry circle, launch more overseas communication and seek new methods of promoting cultural communication. The launch ceremony was attended by government officials such as Shen Haixiong, President of CMG and Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Sun Shuo, CPC Secretary of Xicheng District.

This is not the first time VSPO and the Esports World Cup Foundation have collaborated, with both entities working together on the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both entities are also supported by Saudi Arabian investment groups. VSPO received a $265m (~£219m) investment from Savvy Games Group, while the EWC Foundation is backed by the Saudi Arabian government.

Interestingly, the announcement officially occurred on the same day the International Olympic Committee unveiled its partnership with the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Saudi Arabia to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games 2025 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dino Ying, Chairman of VSPO, commented on the partnership: “It’s a huge honour to be a strategic partner with the Chinese Media Group and the Esports World Cup Foundation with the establishment of the CMG National Institute for Esports Development, which marks another key sign of Beijing’s support for esports development.”

Featuring a $60m (~£46.2m) prize pool, the Esports World Cup comprises of 22 tournaments across two months of action. Despite the grandiosity of the event, sections of the esports community have criticised the Saudi Arabian government’s ties to the Esports World Cup due to the country’s human rights record.

Founded in 2016, VSPO is the largest esports operator in Asia. The company also has a global presence with 14 office locations and organises competitions across several titles, including Honor of Kings and Peacekeeper Elite (PUBG Mobile). The company was also a partner for the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore last year and managed the esports tournaments of the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.