Chapter 267: The Esports

The Dongfang Sports Center sits along the Huangpu River, its architecture composed of a series of arched structures resembling waves washing over a gently sloping beach.

This is a comprehensive sports center where tennis, basketball, swimming, and football are open to the public.

Last year, Yutu coordinated with Shanghai's Sports Bureau to rent a venue and build an esports hall.

Currently, China has no proper esports halls; last year's League of Legends event was held in Sweden and was poorly done.

Constant disconnections and reconnections once caused the match to be halted.

This year's event was delayed solely due to competition from Hero Glory; annual revenue was unsatisfactory, and many teams have moved here instead.

Fang Hong didn't make much money—do you think Tencent would care about a few million in pocket change?

They shifted their strategy to mobile games; a single Rhythm Master or Daily Cool Run has already earned them a fortune.

Tencent only plays easy matches—if you're thriving, they'll value you; if you're barely hanging on, they'll wait and see.

Just look at how many mobile games they launch each year—they care only about performance, not game content; whether players have emotional attachment means nothing—if it doesn't make money, they discard it without a trace of mercy.

Of course, both sides have clashed before; Tencent accused Yutu of plagiarism, and Yutu accused Tencent of plagiarism—they even exchanged legal notices.

It made headlines at the time.

These games have very similar mechanics; both copied Warcraft. As for hero design, Riot dares not blatantly copy for fear of copyright infringement.

Tencent isn't afraid—it dares to blatantly copy.

But this game is led by Riot; if you copy them but they don't copy you, you won't be seen overseas—it's quite ironic.

This global esports event in Shanghai was planned by professional planners hired by Yutu, with all hardware and software outsourced.

If it can be outsourced, outsource it; if not, do it yourself—Yutu only checks whether it meets standards; if not, redo it. That's it—simple as that!

The technical team was assembled by Yutu themselves; the planning team was too, but they planned for a full year.

The main live stream will be on Bilibili, and the Hero Glory client will open a direct channel.

That means players only need to open the client to see a small window in the lower-left corner; clicking it lets them watch the live match—very convenient.

This is Bilibili's first launch of live streaming services; for now, it does not allow amateur streams—only official Hero Glory broadcasts are permitted.

They fear excessive traffic pressure might cause instability, disconnections, crashes, or lag.

This is both a chance to drive traffic to Bilibili and an attempt to enter the live streaming field.

Video is different from text and images—it demands huge bandwidth; to ensure uninterrupted, stable operation requires real technical skill.

Other online platforms can also rebroadcast: Sina Weibo, Sohu, Migu, YY, Liujianfang, Duowan, Game, Youku, Tudou, PPS, Super Player—all video, social, and gaming platforms can show it.

No restrictions, no licensing required—anyone can broadcast; Tencent, Pig Factory—they can all stream it, open to the entire internet.

Live streaming platforms like Panda and Douyu haven't launched yet.

Overseas live streaming platforms are YouTube, Twitch, and the Hero Glory client.

Twitch is a video game streaming platform and currently the world's largest esports video platform; it is currently a partner of Yutu.

But later it will be acquired by Amazon.

"That dome is the suspended display screen, with 15 display panels: eight side screens and six end screens. Through HD holographic projection technology, it gives viewers a 180-degree, 360-degree immersive visual experience."

Li Min pointed to the device hanging in the center of the live hall's dome, resembling a TV unit.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian stood nearby, surrounded by several others—all planners, the people who organized this match.

They were now at the backstage entrance, watching the live hall, which could be called the Global Live Hall—the audience's viewing area.

The match hadn't started yet, but spectators were already lining up for entry; the venue could hold only one thousand people.

Fewer people are easier to manage, leaving ample fire exits, and players need rest areas, dining zones, exhibition areas, and more.

Along the path into the venue, statues of Yasuo and Ice Queen and other heroes were displayed.

There were also young men and women dressed in cosplay costumes, portraying various heroes to guide arriving spectators.

They directed them on how to get to the esports hall.

This was very novel for this era and suited Bilibili's anime-loving audience; passersby took photos and posted online: "Hero Glory is truly sincere—the service is so thoughtful. I got lost and someone came to guide me."

Another person posted a photo: "At the sports center, I said I wasn't here for esports, and they gave me a Hero Glory card—it's beautifully designed."

"."

Such posts were everywhere online, drawing massive attention from players.

This was all meant to build an ecosystem and promote the game—of course they had to create eye-catching things.

Liu Tianxian looked curiously at the interior of the hall: on stage were two sets of computers, five per set, with massive LED screens behind them.

In front was the audience seating, divided into VIP and general sections; VIP seats were directly in front of the stage for a front-row view, while general seats formed a semicircle around the stage.

The entire venue was designed with flashy, sci-fi visuals.

"Let's go!"

Fang Hong and the others had already walked far ahead; seeing Liu Tianxian hadn't followed and was still staring intently, he pulled her.

Liu Tianxian hurried to catch up: "Games can hold competitions now—and so formally too."

"This isn't a game—it's esports!"

Fang Hong corrected her, then said to Li Min: "Which teams are competing now?"

"European teams: M5, SK; North American teams: TSM, DIG; Chinese teams: WE, IG, TPA; South Korean teams: NJWS, AZ; Southeast Asian teams: SAJ—twelve teams total," Li Min introduced.

Among them, IG was Xiao Wang's team—the son of Lao Wang, who entered this field last year.

TPA was the Baodao team; later, Zhou Naicha bought it and built her own Mojie Esports Hall.

Money really lets you play however you want.

Thinking of this, Fang Hong asked Liu Tianxian beside him: "Want to buy a team and play around?"

"Why would I buy a team? What's the point?" Liu Tianxian asked back.

"Just as a hobby—you can sell it later if you get bored. Maybe you'll even train a championship team, and everyone will call you 'Captain!'" Fang Hong tempted.

"I have zero interest in that hobby," Liu Tianxian waved off.

She had no interest in this at all; she just came to see something new, and there was no way she'd spend money on it.

Better to buy two pieces of clothing and two handbags.

Forget it then—Fang Hong didn't push it. After all, Liu Tianxian had missed her chance to become "Principal," but if she did this right, she'd surely become the esports world's "Principal Liu"!

Actually, Fang Hong himself wanted to do it—success would bring high prestige—but he couldn't do it.

This was his game; if he stepped in, he'd disrupt the balance. Whether he won or lost, people would suspect foul play. He could only nurture the ecosystem and let the market lead.

The two had just made a light joke; others listened with smiles, then proceeded to explain the competition rules and arrangements for food, lodging, and travel.

The competition rules were divided into five stages: Play-in Stage, Group Stage, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Grand Finals.

For example, in the Play-in Stage, twelve teams were split into two groups and played randomly; the six winning teams advanced to the next round.

Then, the six losing teams would compete against each other, and the two victorious teams would advance to the Top 8!

This format gives teams that narrowly lost a chance to revive—if they still can't win, it's just because you're bad; if you're bad, practice more and come back next year.

Though the format can't guarantee absolute fairness, it ensures relative fairness.

Each match is best-of-five!

That means the event will last a long time—matches will be held in the morning, afternoon, and evening, for three straight days.

The viewing intensity and match intensity are both high, but teams still get rest time after each event.

Not every match features the same team!

All accommodation and beverages for participating teams were paid for by Yutu and outsourced to Wanda Hotel.

Esports competitions aren't like sports events, where a country sends dozens or hundreds of people; twelve teams, five players per team, equals sixty people.

Add coaches and support staff—ten people per team as the standard—so that's 120 people total, as officially mandated.

You can't just bring your aunts and uncles to eat and drink for free and expect Yutu to pay—that's impossible.

Any extra person beyond the ten must be paid for by the team themselves; the standard is ten per team, no free meals for extras.

Besides these people, there were also referees, technical teams, and service staff—another hundred or two hundred.

Not too many people—mostly inspectors and planners, mostly hired temporarily through outsourcing!

If this goes well, it'll become a long-term event with many tournaments every year; later, Wanda can't just shout loudly without giving them a cut.

The group had already reached the players' rest area.

"This is the IG players' lounge."

Li Min knocked on the door; it opened, revealing seven or eight people sitting together, discussing tactics in front of a whiteboard.

One of them was Fatty—PDD. When they saw the visitors at the door, their eyes lit up—not because of Fang Hong, but because of Liu Tianxian.

Xiao Wang, meanwhile, looked utterly dismissive, legs crossed, acting all cool.

"This is our General Manager Fang."

Li Min introduced them, pointing inside: "That's Xiao Wang, their captain."

The others weren't introduced—mere nobodies!

"Oh!" Xiao Wang replied indifferently.

"Let's go."

Fang Hong closed the door for them, then led the group away, too lazy to care about this arrogant rich kid.

Xiao Wang was very arrogant now, before he was later humbled by repeated beatings.

"Holy shit, Fairy Sister is so beautiful, her skin is so white, she's so tall." Someone got excited.

They were all young and impulsive; seeing a celebrity they admired, of course they were thrilled.

"Captain Wang, what's the relationship between Fairy Sister and Principal?" someone asked Xiao Wang.

"What relationship? She used to be the Godfather's, now she's the Principal's." Xiao Wang spoke with his usual arrogance.

Sugar daddy?

Instantly, the word popped into their minds; their hearts turned cold, as if their filters had shattered.

Those rumors hadn't been proven, but Xiao Wang said it, and somehow it felt believable.

His social class speaks for itself!

"I once called Liu Tianxian my wife—filters shattered everywhere," said PDD.

After closing the door, Fang Hong and the others didn't discuss Xiao Wang at all, as if he didn't exist.

Liu Tianxian had no interaction with Xiao Wang; she treated him like a stranger.

Fang Hong didn't know Xiao Wang had spoken so recklessly behind their backs—even if he had known, it wouldn't surprise him, because this guy was famously careless with his words, saying anything that came to mind.

And everything was driven by profit!

Don't believe in some entertainment industry disciplinary committee—he was close with Da Baobei, Chen Chichi, Da Mimi, and Jianzi; when did he ever investigate any of them?

He promoted so many internet celebrities—is he looking down on the entertainment industry? No, he's just made too many enemies; they won't tolerate him.

Panda Live alone had offended every capital player!

He's just reached a level where he can meet celebrities; sure, he knows some inside info, but it's not as exaggerated as people think.

They watched a few foreign teams—all pretty ordinary; they had no filters for Chinese people or celebrities.

The live-streaming hall's audience seats were full—men and women, all young.

Bilibili's live stream suddenly surged with tens of thousands of viewers.

Traffic came from client-side referrals, Bilibili's own users, plus live broadcasts on YY Live and Sina Weibo.

According to incomplete statistics, hundreds of thousands were watching online; overseas viewers were watching at night due to time differences, with data transmission delays.

Fang Hong and the others were in the central control room, where a row of technicians sat at computers, ready to handle any possible emergencies.

Ahead were several large screens showing both the live audience and the match action.

At 10 a. m., the first match began.

The two teams had already walked out from the backstage separately, taken their seats, and put on their headsets, ready to go.

Team China "we" versus Team Ouzhou.

There were cheers and chatter in the venue, making it somewhat noisy, but the atmosphere was still lively.

Not lively — no one cheers, and even when the players win there's no sense of honor.

"Alright, let's take a look — the match officially begins now."

"."

There were three casters: Cang, dc, and jy.

(End of chapter)