- VSPN, one of the biggest esports tournament hosts in the world, is planning to go public
- The company has reportedly submitted a prospectus with the Hong Kong Exchange
- VSPN still relies on tournament organization for 60% of its revenue making it a unique company in esports space
Chinese esports company VSPN is considering a public listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as the company continues to help the esports ecosystem through numerous ventures.
Reputation for Crafting the Best Tournaments
Chinese esports behemoth VSPN is mulling to go public with a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company, which is one of the biggest esports tournament hosts in Asia across 29 distinct video game titles, has already submitted a prospectus to the exchange. This paves the way for an initial public offering (IPO) that would allow the company to muster the additional resources it needs to continue building on its research and development, and thus elevate the esports experience in its home market and beyond.
That, as a result, should allow it to develop advanced technology for tournament infrastructure, more quality content, esports services, and a better overall gaming experience. VSPN is currently backed by a number of prominent investors, among them companies such as PAC Capital, Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia, Focus Media, Tencent, and others.
Tencent owns a 13% stake in the company and its head of esports, Hou Miao, is a non-executive director at VSPN. This links up the two companies in a unique way. Yet, VSPN is even a bigger unicorn than Tencent, as the company has focused the bulk of its operations on tournaments and hosting events for a number of popular games, including PUBG: Mobile, Crossfire, Clash of Clans: Royal War, Honor of Kings, and others.
Not Straying from Event Organization and Management
The company has repeatedly established itself as a leader in esports organization and overall services. It has partnered up with companies such as Tencent, Krafton, and Garena, each of which is considered big in the world of esports. Yet, VSPN’s unique focus on tournament organization has seen it host as many as 94 gaming events in China and overseas last year.
VSPN solidified its presence in the esports vertical by acquiring Banana Gaming & Media in January 2021 and pulling ahead of any domestic rivals in terms of quality of event organization and overall capabilities. VSPN has also repeatedly invested in tournament organization, basing the bulk of its revenue on it.
An estimated 60% of the company’s revenue comes from hosting tournaments and VSPN is not worried about diversifying or pulling away any time soon. If anything, the company is most likely going to continue on improving the existing tournament infrastructure to bring new experiences. VSPN is represented across numerous facets of the esports gaming space. It’s the sole operator of the King Pro League, which is the world’s largest mobile gaming league in the first place.
The recent news of a potential IPO comes after the company first floated the idea back in 2021, and originally planned to target the United States.
