China’s gaming and esports business has had a busy fortnight. Tencent is putting more money behind competitive gaming, KPL (King Pro League)’s tenth anniversary is driving a wave of consumer-brand collaborations, and Chinese-made games are showing fresh commercial momentum.
Here are some of the developments worth catching up on.
Esports players find an audience on Chinese reality TV
Two players from Peacekeeper Elite League (PEL), China’s top-level professional league for Peacekeeper Elite, the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile, have become unlikely reality-TV talking points in China.
Qingzhi and Bai Xiaochun, former teammates at Tianba who won the 2024 PEL Spring Championship together, appeared on Mango TV’s reality show I Miss You. The programme brings together four pairs of former friends for an extended group trip, giving them a chance to revisit old disagreements and work on their relationships.
The show premiered on October 22, but the esports storyline gained traction during the following weeks. On October 31, both players went live separately, each drawing more than 100,000 viewers.
The crossover has brought a fresh audience to the league, with the players’ personalities and shared history becoming just as much of a talking point as their competitive careers. PEL is also investing in its creator ecosystem, launching a 2026 Creator New Star programme with a prize pool of RMB 1 million for campus, tactical, AI-generated and news content. The league has also opened applications for its 2027 temporary team slots through IP- and influence-based entry routes.
For PEL, the attention on its players offers another way to reach beyond its core fanbase.
PEL and Taobao take esports partnership into Double 11
Taobao, a strategic partner of the Peacekeeper Elite esports ecosystem, has expanded its collaboration with the game around China’s Double 11 shopping festival, the country’s biggest annual online shopping event.
The campaign introduced Taobao-branded interactive locations to the game’s island map on October 31, allowing players to collect in-game energy boosts. A Taobao-backed monthly tournament also launched on November 1, alongside shopping promotions and exclusive merchandise rewards.
Hero Esports, the event organiser of PEL, helped facilitate the partnership between Taobao and PEL, bringing one of China’s largest e-commerce platforms into the league’s commercial ecosystem.
The collaboration goes beyond traditional esports sponsorship, connecting in-game experiences, competitive gaming and online shopping. For Taobao, it offers another way to reach young gaming audiences while making the brand part of their everyday entertainment.
IEM Beijing brings brands, retail and local businesses together
Hosted by ESL FACEIT Group and Hero Esports, Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Beijing 2026 took place from November 2 to 8 at Huaxi Bio·Runbaiyan ECM Center in Beijing.
The Beijing event featured 16 international teams, a $1.25 million prize pool and an expected attendance of more than 45,000 spectators. Several commercial activations stood out during the event.
Logitech G served as the official peripherals partner, with an on-site experience area where visitors could try its latest PRO-series equipment. DHL handled 58 shipments weighing more than 5,000 kg to bring tournament, broadcasting and production equipment from Europe to China. It also brought its esports employer-branding programme to China for the first time, using the event to introduce career opportunities in logistics, technology and other business functions.
The local business community had a role too. Haidian District partnered with ticketing platform Maoyan and lifestyle platform Meituan to offer ticket holders a benefits package across transport, restaurants, hotels, shopping centres, parks and museums across 40 local locations.
Tencent commits another RMB 1bn to Golden Spatula’s competitive ecosystem
Tencent has announced a major expansion of the competitive ecosystem for its mobile auto-battler Fight of the Golden Spatula ahead of the 2027 season.
At an event on November 6 in Xi’an, the company outlined plans to invest a further RMB 1 billion (roughly $140 million) over the next three years in player culture, creator support and esports development.
The 2027 competitive structure will include a new annual championship and ranking system. The overall esports prize pool is set to double its 2026 level, with RMB 3 million going to the champion.
Tencent also confirmed plans for a dedicated PC version in the next music-themed season. Accounts, matchmaking and friend lists will be shared between PC and mobile, making it easier for players to switch between platforms.
The scale of the commitment reflects the game’s established audience in China. Tencent reported more than 240 million registered users and over 50 million monthly active users.
KPL marks ten years with an exhibition in Chengdu
The King Pro League (KPL), China’s top professional league for mobile MOBA game Honor of Kings, is marking its tenth anniversary with a dedicated exhibition in Chengdu, China.
The exhibition opens on November 11 at the Chengdu Natural History Museum and runs until December 6. Spanning several floors, it charts the league’s history, with scheduled appearances by former championship-winning players and KPL commentators.
The museum setting gives KPL a new way to tell the story of its first decade.
Author: Zoé Han, Social Media and PR Communications at Hero Esports.
Disclaimer: This article was produced in partnership with Hero Esports.
