China is home to renown gaming company such as Tencent and NetEase; and it is quickly becoming one of the world’s leading gaming market. For the past two consecutive years, the Chinese teams were the winners of the Leagues of World Championships, which attracted much attention to this new virtual sports.
Furthermore, the rise of affluent younger Chinese has also led to a rapid rise in eSports.
"Gaming is one of the top content categories on Bilibili – of which eSports is the most active," Bilibili said in a statement. "It is a trend that cannot be ignored."
The next world finals will be held in Shanghai, China, in the new year.