Mario Ho, Chairman and co-CEO of NIP Group, has announced an ambitious plan to open more than 100 esports hotels across mainland China within the next three years.
The initiative, revealed during the 5th BEYOND Expo in Macau, begins with the first hotel launching in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
NIP Group, known for its competitive teams and growing media ecosystem, will operate 95% of these new properties under a franchise model to reduce capital strain and scale rapidly. Ho emphasized the urgency of growth in China’s hyper-competitive esports landscape, noting that companies unable to expand swiftly risk being phased out.
“The esports industry is in a ‘winter’ period,” Ho said, as originally reported in the Asia Gaming Brief (AGB). “NIP Group has built an ecosystem across esports and gaming verticals and is now expanding outward.”
The initiative builds on NIP’s strategic partnership with Home Inns Group, with whom it co-founded Shanghai Ru Jing Player Hotel Management Co., Ltd. in 2024. The joint venture, which is 60% owned by NIP Group, underscores its commitment to the esports hotel market, which has seen steady growth since the first location debuted in Zhengzhou in 2017.
Beyond China, NIP Group is extending its reach globally. Ho spotlighted recent developments in the Middle East, including a major partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and the construction of a dedicated esports city in the UAE capital. He predicted that esports investment in the region would yield world-class teams and tournaments within five years.
Southeast Asia is also on the radar, according to AGB, with Ho identifying Thailand and Vietnam as strategic targets due to their large, youth-driven gaming populations.
NIP’s multi-regional expansion reflects its strategic goal of establishing a global presence in esports hospitality and entertainment, something to watch in the upcoming years.
