The Hero Esports Asian Champions League, Asia's first international, multi-title esports tournament hosted by the region's largest esports company Hero Esports, held an official launch ceremony on March 19 in Shanghai, with a total of nine popular esports game titles and competitions unveiled for the inaugural event.

The nine esports game titles and competitions include Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Honor of Kings, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, Delta Force, Crossfire, the Legend Cup of League of Legends, and the Valorant Champions Tour. Among them, competition on the Counter-Strike 2 has kicked off in 32 cities across China since Feb 15, attracting over 1,000 teams nationwide.

It is worth noting that several of the event's nine titles and competitions will offer the winner a direct pass to compete in the Esports World Cup, which is the world's largest comprehensive international esports tournament taking place annually in Saudi Arabia in summer, according to the organizer.

With a total prize pool of $2 million, this year's ACL Grand Finals are set to take place from May 16 to May 18 at several venues across Shanghai, expecting to draw over ten thousands of audiences offline daily. Also, the grand finals will also work with the globally renowned gaming festival DreamHack to bring together the world's top esports players, cutting-edge gaming technologies, as well as diverse merchandise and gaming enthusiasts.

During the launch ceremony, Hero Esports also signed cooperation agreements with Shanghai Jiushi (Group) Co Ltd and Jin Jiang International Holdings Co, aiming to promote the integration and coordinated development of the city's sports stadiums, esports and tourism industries. Jonny Wang, the league's chief executive officer, said the collaboration will inject new impetus to the city's sports and esports industrial development.

"As a tournament born and rooted in Shanghai, the ACL will work with partners to deepen the integration of sports, cultural tourism, consumption and technologies. We hope to show the city's cultural charm to global audiences with such esports tournaments and activities. We believe the event will boost the esports industry in China and the whole of Asia, and will further expand Shanghai's influence at the global esports stage," Wang added.