Asia's first int'l esports tournament unveiled in Shanghai

The Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia's first international, multi-title esports tournament was unveiled on Tuesday in Shanghai, aiming to help integrate the fragmented esports system in Asia and promote the industry's standardization and internationalization, announced the organizer.

Organized by VSPO, the biggest esports company in Asia headquartered in Shanghai, the new league is set to make the most diverse and accessible esports tournament in the region. The league will cover seven to ten game titles at launch, and its inaugural season will last for about six months, expecting to produce more than 300 million minutes of esports content for fans, according to Jonny Wang, VSPO's co-founder and the league's chief executive officer.

With the application of extended reality (XR) technologies, the first ACL tournament plans to build a batch of online "Skyring" gaming arenas across Asia, which will for the first time enable esports players to compete in the cloud, and allow global audiences to enjoy the events interactively regardless of national and regional borders.

"A key focus of ACL is to create more opportunities for top teams from different Asian countries to compete throughout the year. More high-stake regional rivalries are something that fans would love to see and what we want to deliver through ACL," said Wang.

The organizer expects tens of thousands of esports athletes to compete in its six-month season each year. Meanwhile, not only professional esports players, the tournament will open its door to amateur players as well.

Chinese esports player Zeng Zhuojun, who is better known as Xiaohai and was crowned at the Esports World Cup's Street Fighter 6 tournament in August, is excited about the new league at his doorstep.

"It can be very tiring for esports players to make long travels to compete in intense events overseas. I once fell asleep standing in the arena after finishing a three-day event. So I will be expecting a lot from the ACL bringing such events to China. We can have plenty of time to rest and get better prepared for the competition. The audiences can also get closer to the tournament with more interactive experiences," said Zeng.

ACL is also a partner of the EWC, which takes place annually in Saudi Arabia from this year. Currently, the two sides are actively exploring on the game titles for competition and how ACL can be aligned with the Global EWC Qualifications for 2025.

"Asia is by far, when you talk about esports, the strongest region in the world. With ACL, to be able to bring and unite all these players together and bring them under one tournament is truly fantastic," said HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, vice-chairman of the Savvy Games Group and the honorary chairman of the new league.

He remains optimistic about the prospects of Asia's esports industry, adding that the unique relationship between Saudi Arabia and China over the years has offered the two sides the opportunity to sit together on a table and push the esports industry forward.

"I think the opportunity to be able to build a global community is something that cannot be overlooked. Asian countries have close borders and are able to come and work together easily... Esports is growing year on year, and the fans and people attending these events are growing. We need to build on the industry together to keep us as the world's powerhouse in esports and gaming," he said.

In recent years, esports have drawn extensive attention with its success at the Asian Games, the Olympic Esports Week and the Esports World Cup. In 2025, the first Olympic Esports Games will be held in Saudi Arabia.

"ACL will elevate Asian esports to new heights. As esports becomes a widely recognized form of sports, we believe that international multi-title esports tournaments represent the future for esports, and ACL marks a commitment to that future," said Dino Ying, founder of VSPO.