Guido Gernetti, co-founder and COO of Leviatan, a leading Latin American esports organization, shares similar sentiments with Descharmes. Leviatan's team first came to the city for the Valorant Masters Shanghai 2024, when Gernetti felt the same passion and connection with the local esports community.
Since then, Leviatan has also started diving into Chinese culture while actively interacting with local fans and operating Chinese social media accounts, which have so far garnered more than 340,000 followers.
"Right now, in overseas markets, we all see China as a leader in the gaming ecosystem. It is investing in diverse events and promoting the esports scene. Along with ourselves, more teams are coming here to learn, to be part of the ecosystem, and to build things together," says Gernetti.
He adds that the organization is looking to establish the company here within the year, and expects to enhance its international collaboration and bridge Chinese and Latin American cultures via esports.
"Esports culture is inclusive, digital, and creates passion. We are expanding fast globally, and have so many possibilities to make things happen together," says Gernetti.
The ESL FACEIT Group, which has partnered with local organizations such as the Shanghai-headquartered Hero Esports, has been expanding its presence in China with its renowned Intel Extreme Masters tournaments in Beijing and Chengdu, Sichuan province, as well as DreamHack Shanghai, which made its debut last year.
Jascha Braeker, senior partnerships development manager at EFG, notes that esports and the gaming industry are still growing, and that China produces some of the best tournaments and players. EFG is positive about future growth in the nation and hopes to introduce more Chinese brands to the world.
Braeker says that China is generally the company's largest viewership market, and that Chinese cities provide some of the strongest government support. She also says that they recognize esports as culturally relevant and important to the younger generation.
"We want to stay in China, nurture the market, connect with the super-passionate fans, and bring them the best events. We have not explored the Chinese market to the fullest yet, so I think we will grow in China," she adds.
China's esports industry saw its revenue increase 2.78 percent year-on-year to nearly 13.12 billion yuan ($1.94 billion) in the first half of 2026. By the end of June, China was home to more than 160 esports organizations and the nation's esports user base reached 495 million, according to the latest report released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association during the recent 23rd China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, held from July 31 to Aug 3 in Shanghai.
The report also says that China's esports industry has been continuously expanding in overseas markets such as East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Americas.
