Tencent’s team and affiliates at its 2020 Global Esports Summit. Credit: Tencent
In the world’s biggest video game market, there is one company that reigns above all: Tencent. The internet giant, most famous outside of China for its messaging app WeChat, took in nearly $74 billion in 2020. More than a third of its immense earnings came from gaming in 2019.With more than 140 games and gaming assets across mobile, PC, consoles, e-sports, and live-streaming — both within China and abroad — the Shenzhen-based company has become a colossus of the global industry, too.
Tencent benefits from China’s thriving and ever-evolving gaming culture. The country’s gaming market was worth nearly $41 billion in 2020, with the U.S. following at $37 billion, according to gaming and e-sports analytics firm Newzoo. Internet cafes are still a popular destination for social gaming in person, and hundreds of millions of people engage with live-streaming.
But it’s also come up against hurdles at home and abroad. China’s government’s relationship with the gam
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