With the successful conclusion of the 2024 TGA Tencent Esports Games Ant Esports National Challenge, Ant Esports has not only garnered widespread attention within the esports community but also attracted the interest of numerous media outlets. During this period, Peng Chunxin, General Manager of Brand Operations at Ant Esports, was interviewed by multiple gaming, industry, and technology media outlets, delving into Ant Esports’ development plans and strategies in various aspects such as esports events, brand building, and product innovation.
In discussing how Ant Esports enhances the event experience through customized solutions, Mr. Peng Chunxin stated that the first step is to select esports events that highly align with the brand’s philosophy. For instance, games like Valorant, which pursue rapid response times, high refresh rates, and color fidelity, are consistent with Ant Esports’ product direction, better showcasing product advantages and further enhancing the professionalism and watchability of the events. Ant Esports provides customized display devices to offer competitors and spectators a superior visual experience.
Regarding the expansion of event influence, Mr. Peng Chunxin pointed out that the continuous growth of the gaming market, especially the increase in the number of users on platforms like Steam, indicates the enrichment of game content and copyrights, as well as the expansion of the consumer base. Ant Esports has established in-depth cooperative relationships with sports authorities, the China Internet Cafe Industry Association, the Esports Industry Association, and local clubs, and has participated in defining game product standards, all of which have provided a guarantee for Ant Esports’ authority and influence in the esports field. In the future, Ant Esports will attract more esports enthusiasts to participate in events and strengthen interaction with the esports community through offline activities, such as regularly hosting amateur weekly tournaments and internet cafe monthly competitions. At the same time, Ant Esports will establish cooperative relationships with media to promote the brand and events, thereby expanding brand awareness and influence. Furthermore, Ant Esports plans to establish a fan club to strengthen connections with fans through club activities and improve brand loyalty.
In terms of event cooperation, Ant Esports has reached a close collaboration with Tencent Esports and has successfully hosted multiple events in cooperation with Tencent Esports. Mr. Peng Chunxin stated that Ant Esports’ products have a professional advantage in short TTK (Time To Kill) games such as CS2 and Valorant, but will not be limited to this direction. In the future, Ant Esports plans to continue deepening its cooperation with Tencent Esports and plans to more deeply engage with the professional esports field in 2025, considering expansion into other game areas such as Hearthstone and World of Warcraft, making Ant Esports’ event system more comprehensive, larger in scale, and broader in reach.
Ant Esports is committed to building a ‘Gaming Plus’ ecosystem and nurturing professional teams for future development. In addition to hosting offline events, Ant Esports plans to focus on the direction of esports clubs to create their own ecosystem. Mr. Peng Chunxin stated that Ant Esports is interested in developing its own gaming ecosystem and even considering the cultivation of its own teams. However, this process will be gradual and is still in the planning stages.
Facing the current homogenization of esports equipment parameters, Ant Esports strengthens its brand competitiveness through product innovation and user experience optimization. Mr. Peng Chunxin introduced that Huike has invested tens of millions of yuan in the Ant Esports project, creating a nearly 5000-square-meter ‘Pinnacle Lab’ to differentiate products with high-end experimental technology and personnel. At the same time, Ant Esports delves into technology research and development, achieving the ultimate in product parameters through precise testing and optimization in the lab. Additionally, Ant Esports focuses on improving product comfort by optimizing design and materials to reduce user fatigue and discomfort during use.
Regarding the future launch of competition-customized peripherals, Mr. Peng Chunxin stated that Ant Esports has already specialized in monitor production and has exported professional-grade peripherals for events. In the future, Ant Esports plans to build a comprehensive product ecosystem, extending beyond monitors, keyboards, and mice to include gaming headsets and racing simulators. While ensuring professionalism, Ant Esports plans to shift towards customization to meet various needs, offering more personalized choices. With strong technical strength and professional testing equipment, Ant Esports can ensure the high quality and performance of customized products. When discussing the development trend of the esports monitor market, Mr. Peng Chunxin said that Ant Esports is positioned as a professional and personalized esports brand, focusing on providing high-end professional esports monitor products. Ant Esports forms a differentiation from competitors through strategies such as specialization, ecosystem development, and community forums. In the future, Ant Esports will regularly hold offline salons and product tasting events, inviting media, KOLs, and players to participate, collect user feedback, and optimize product definitions. In terms of commercialization, Ant Esports currently prefers to cooperate with upstream component supply chain events, such as developing customized professional esports products in cooperation with TTC, to meet the personalized needs of esports players and consumers. The picture shows the competition site of the Ant Esports National Challenge – Mr. Yan Zijing, the brand spokesperson for Ant Esports (right). Market Role Transformation, Jointly Promoting the New Development of Esports Ecosystem. Ant Esports hopes to transition from a market follower to a market leader, focusing on the two core drivers of technological innovation and product research and development, continuously promoting the innovation and upgrade of esports display technology.At the same time, Ant Esports indicates that it will actively participate in the organization and operation of esports events to promote the dissemination and popularization of esports culture and build a more diverse and professional competition and communication platform for esports enthusiasts. Ant Esports will adopt an open cooperation model, share resources and complement each other’s advantages with various partners, jointly explore a mutually beneficial development path, and jointly create a win-win situation in the esports ecosystem. Indeed, as a leader in the field of esports equipment, Ant Esports not only pursues excellence in product quality but also shows forward-looking and innovative aspects in event layout, brand building, and user experience optimization. By deepening cooperation with game brands such as Tencent Esports, it expands the event territory; by product innovation and user experience optimization, it strengthens brand competitiveness; by strengthening cooperation with the upstream and downstream industrial chains, it promotes the development of the esports industry. Currently, Ant Esports is using a dual-wheel drive strategy of event layout and brand building to bring better gaming experiences to esports players and contribute more to the continuous prosperity and development of the esports industry.
