Shanghai's prominence in global esports soared during the recent Counter-Strike Shanghai Major, the first top-tier Counter-Strike event ever held in Asia.

Hosted by Perfect World Esports from Nov 11 to Dec 15, the tournament featured 56 international teams and drew over 70,000 on-site spectators, including nearly 10,000 from overseas. Matches were streamed in English and Russian, garnering over 600 million online views.

"Shanghai is the city in China that hosts the most important esports events, has the highest level of esports clubs and players, and possesses the most complete industry chain," said Huang Xiao'ou, vice-president of Perfect World Esports.

"We plan to continue bringing international tournaments to the domestic scene as more and more top-tier events are hosted in Shanghai," Huang added.

The city has hosted three top esports tournaments in recent years — the Dota 2 International 2019, the 2020 League of Legends World Championship (S10), and the 2024 Counter-Strike Shanghai Major.

According to statistics from market research agencies, esports event revenue in Shanghai reached 1.115 billion yuan ($153.04 million) in 2024, accounting for 46.9 percent of the national total. Club revenue amounted to 677 million yuan, representing 41.87 percent of the national total.

Sources: shanghai.gov.cn, Perfect World Esports