Cyberport’s plan to make Hong Kong an e-sports hub: if you build it, they will come

The government-owned tech incubator will spend HK$50 million to create venues for large-scale video game tournaments, to take a bigger bite of the billion-dollar industry

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The e-sports industry is expected to swell to HK$7.05 billion this year. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 2:31pm, 12 Mar 2018Updated: 10:40pm, 12 Mar 2018

Hong Kong has set aside HK$50 million to create spaces for video game competitions as the city pushes a plan to become a regional hub for the billion-dollar e-sports industry.

Cyberport, a technology start-up incubator managed by a government-owned company, will spend the money – half of the HK$100 million (US$12.76 million) earmarked for the sector in the 2018-2019 budget – on e-sports venue innovation, according to Eric Yeung Chuen-sing, president of the E-sports Association Hong Kong who was briefed on the plan with other industry representatives last week.

Maria Lam, Cyberport’s chief corporate development officer, said the 4,000 sq ft venue, located in the atrium of the 1 million sq ft technology park, will break ground later this year. Besides a competition venue, an area will also be set up for non-gamers to experience e-sports, Lam added.

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Terence Leung Tak-ming, manager of Cyberport Youth, said the venue could also host international tournaments as well as local contests, which will help Hong Kong boost its credentials as a regional gaming hub.

The Cyberport park will host a new e-sports venue in its atrium. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“E-sports in Hong Kong is lagging behind Taiwan, South Korea and mainland China,” Marbles So, project manager of Kowloon EStadium, an entertainment company that runs e-sports venues and teams, said. “A specialised stadium is key when negotiating with game publishers to host live competitions.”

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Similar to cities bidding to host the Olympics, arenas need to apply for hosting rights from game distributors and creators such as Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends.