Four Titles Featured as Jing'an Hosts Esports Tournament

The 2025 Shanghai Esports Masters took place at the Jing'an Sports Center in December, as Shanghai steps up efforts to develop its esports industry.

The five-day tournament featured four titles – "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang," "Valorant," "Overwatch" and "Identity V" – with nearly 100 professional players from China, South Korea, Mongolia and other countries and regions competing. "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang," which has been added to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, made its debut at the event.

Organizers sought to extend the tournament's impact beyond the venue. Tickets started at 68 yuan (US$9.60), with discounted two-day passes offered for "Valorant" matches.

Live broadcasts and interactive events were held at locations such as Daning Music Plaza, while shopping centers, including Shanghai Suhewan MixC World, CP Jing'an and Shanghai Jiuguang Center, offered promotions for ticket holders. A digital culture market ran alongside the competition.

The event forms part of Jing'an's broader push to position itself as a key esports hub in Shanghai. The district hosts more than 100 gaming and e-sports companies, covering game development, operations and tournament management, and stages three major annual events – the Global E-Sports Conference and the China Game Innovation Competition, and the Shanghai Esports Masters.

Technology development is central to the district's plans.

In the Daning area, an ultra-high-definition audio-visual industry cluster, launched in December 2024 through a district–municipal partnership, is being developed to support esports production and related content. The project is intended to link chip design, video gaming and artificial intelligence with local esports firms, expanding the use of "AI + Audio-Visual" applications.

In the next five years, Jing'an plans to develop Lingshi Road into a more integrated esports zone by reusing existing buildings, parks and venues to host competitions, live broadcasting, performances, merchandising and game development. Incentives covering space, financing and talent will be unveiled to attract new projects, as Shanghai seeks to strengthen its position in the global esports industry.