The annual tournament started in 2021 is hosted by the governments of the three East Asian nations. China secured the overall victory in the first competition in 2021, and Japan ranked first in 2022.
Yeosu City said in a statement that this year’s championship has commenced on December 15. All gamers from the three countries will engage in face-to-face matches during the three-day event. Some 1,000 participants, including esports athletes and guests, attended the opening ceremony at Yeosu's expo convention center.
The competition will be broadcast live through YouTube, Twitch, and South Korea's famous video streaming service AfreecaTV. During the event, visitors can also enjoy an esports pop-up store, extended reality (XR)-based shooting training, and arcade games.
South Korea has long been considered the center of esports due to the fast data connection that allows users to play games without difficulties from anywhere at any time. Comcast Spectacor, the esports wing of American media and entertainment company Comcast, established an esports joint venture called "T1 Entertainment & Sports" with South Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom in 2019.
In July 2023, the World Cyber Games, also known as the "Olympics of esports," was held in South Korea's southern port city of Busan. A total of 20,632 people visited the global esports event where gamers from 10 countries competed in 15 games. According to data released by market research firm Fortune Business Insights, the global esports market, which stood at $1.45 billion in 2022, is expected to reach $6.75 billion by 2030.
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