Western esports organizations that have entered Southeast Asia, Korea and China

Gaming and esports consumers vary greatly by region. One esport can be a huge cultural hit in the East, while remaining unknown in the West.

However, the modern esports ecosystem has further encouraged the development of global organizations, filled with teams competing for titles across the globe. The reason is simple: to diversify revenue streams and enter new markets to attract more fans. This is why some of the largest organizations in the Western world have begun expanding eastward, specifically the esports powerhouse markets of Southeast Asia, Korea, and China.

The selection of these three regions comes as no great surprise. South Korea has a rich esports history, and continues to foster loyal fanbases in the FGC and StarCraft. China, on the other hand, is one of the most mature esports markets in the world, with numerous franchised esports leagues in titles that are unknown to Western audiences.

Finally, Southeast Asia continues to dominate the mobile esports space, with games like Arena of Valor, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Free Fire, and PUBG Mobile enjoying huge popularity. This makes it fertile ground for Western esports organizations looking to grab a piece of the ever-growing mobile market.

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The launch of the Esports World Cup Club Support Programme has also prompted many Western esports organisations to invest in new titles, with many opting for rosters in the East. The 30 teams in the Club Support Programme have been given an incentive to enter new titles into the Esports World Cup, which is currently underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at which Western esports organizations have teams in the East.

Cloud 9

Starcraft II

North American esports organization Cloud 9 entered the Starcraft II scene when it signed Korean player Koh “GuMiho” Byung-jae in November 2023. It’s not a surprising signing, as the region dominates the game’s competitive circuit compared to North America, where Cloud9 is headquartered.

An example of this is the viewing figures for IEM Katowice 2024. According to Esports Charts, all five matches featured at least one South Korean player.

FaZe Clan

PUBG Mobile

FaZe Clan realized in 2020 that PUBG Mobile was a game worth investing in — and that the best region for it was SEA. After that, the organization signed a team in Thailand.

The long-term commitment to the game resulted in FaZe Clan becoming a partner team in the PUBG Mobile esports ecosystem in 2023. As part of this, a spot in the PUBG Mobile Super League (PMSL) SEA, which has three seasons per year, is guaranteed for FaZe Clan.

Phnatic

Overwatch

British esports organization Fnatic signed a contract with Overwatch in 2015, but subsequently left the game before the launch of the Overwatch League.

However, prior to the Esports World Cup, the organization got back into the game by picking up Esports World Cup-qualified team, YETI. The uncontracted Korean Overwatch team placed fourth in the Overwatch Champions Series 2024 Asia Stage 1, booking a spot in the Riyadh event. Fnatic would ultimately lose in Round 1 of the EWC Playoffs.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Overwatch wasn’t Fnatic’s only acquisition ahead of the Esports World Cup. The esports organization partnered with ONIC Esports in 2024 for its MLBB rosters in Indonesia and the Philippines. Notably, Onic holds a franchise slot in the MLBB Professional League (MPL) in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Fnatic ONIC recently won MPL Indonesia Season 13 and was one of the favorites for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup 2024. However, the team failed to survive the group stage. Fnatic ONIC PH, on the other hand, finished fifth in the MPL Philippines Season 13.

G2 Esports

Dota2

Multinational esports organization G2 Esports entered into a notable partnership with China’s Invictus Gaming in December 2023.

The newly formed G2.iG represents the China region and has participated in several top-tier esports events in 2024, including the Riyadh Masters 2024, PGL Wallachia Season 1, ESL One Birmingham and the Elite League Season 1.

In a press release at the time, G2 noted: “China, and Asia in general, has always been a major priority for G2 as the organization seeks to expand from west to east across the globe.”

Additionally, G2 also experimented with Wild Rift esports by partnering with one of the most popular esports organizations in the Philippines: Blacklist International. However, the team is no longer active after Riot Games announced in early 2024 that it would no longer focus on SEA for Wild Rift esports.

Gaimin Gladiators

Rocket League

In addition to European rosters for Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, Gaimin Gladiators has also had ties to the Asia-Pacific region with a Rocket League roster since 2022.

Since then, the organization has enjoyed considerable success in the local APAC region, reaching the RLCS World Championship in 2022 and 2023.

Guild Esports

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

UK-based esports organization Guild Esports announced on June 10, 2024 that it would be entering the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang scene with Saudi Arabia-based R8 Esports. This included both the men’s and women’s teams.

However, just four days after the announcement, Guild.R8 Esports failed to qualify for the Esports World Cup after finishing the MLBB Professional League (MPL) MENA Playoffs in fourth place. The women’s team also failed to make it to the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) 2024.

However, in the announcement, Guild emphasized that the partnership will also extend to the Esports World Cup and beyond.

NAVI

Team Fight Tactics

NAVI is another esports organization that has established an esports squad in the East in response to the Esports World Cup.

The organization announced on June 13 that it acquired South Korean team Dark Horse after the team finished second in the Esports World Cup 2024 TFT APAC Closed Qualifier.

NAVI will participate in the TFT tournament at EWC 2024 from August 8th to 11th. A prize pool of $500,000 (~£393,600) is at stake for the event.

Team Vitality

Team Vitality India

Team Vitality is one of the largest Western esports organizations with significant investments in the East, starting with India.

The France-based esports organization has a separate chapter for India, which includes not only esports teams but also content creators. The organization also announced in May 2024 that it had partnered with the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) to “bring Indian esports to the world.” The ESFI is a full member of the International Esports Federation (IESF).

In esports, Team Vitality India currently has a Call of Duty: Mobile lineup that is one of the most successful in the region. The esports organization previously had a Free Fire team as well, but the game was banned in early 2022. With Garena announcing Free Fire India, Team Vitality could return to the game when the title launches.

Although TSM and Fnatic made similar investments in the country, both esports organizations later withdrew from the market.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Team Vitality entered Mobile Legends: Bang Bang by taking arguably the most successful all-female esports lineup in the game, Bigetron Era. The team has a near-spotless record in all-female MLBB esports, winning major tournaments in 2023 and 2022.

The team was one of the favorites to win the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) at the 2024 Esports World Cup. However, the team ultimately finished second, losing to Omega Empress from the Philippines.

Starcraft II

Team Vitality entered Starcraft II in February 2024, in partnership with ONSYDE, a South Korean esports organization. In a press release, Vitality stated that this signing was “part of the Parisian club’s global expansion.”

As part of this, some of the biggest stars in the game, namely Cho ‘Maru’ Seong-ju, Kim ‘Ryung’ Dong-won and Kang ‘Solar’ Min-soo, now compete under the banner of the organization.

Tekken 8

Finally, Team Vitality has one South Korean player on its fighting game roster. Jeon ‘Jeondding’ Sang-hyun was picked up in April 2024 and is one of the biggest names in the FGC.

The player has qualified for the 2024 Esports World Cup and will compete in the $1 million (~£787,000) Tekken 8 tournament in August.

Team Liquid

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Team Liquid entered Mobile Legends: Bang Bang by acquiring SEA-based esports organization STUN.GG. As a result, STUN.GG’s properties, AURA Esports and ECHO Esports, were renamed Team Liquid ID and Team Liquid PH respectively. Both teams have spots in MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines.

Ninjas in Pyjamas

League of Legends and Honor of Kings

Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) is part of Riot Games’ franchise for League of Legends in China, the LoL Professional League (LPL).

The Sweden-based esports organization entered the LPL by merging with ESV5 to create the NIP Group. As part of this, the organization also joined Honor of Kings esports in China (via eStar Gaming)

With the merger, Victory Five was rebranded as Ninjas in Pyjamas in the LPL. In addition, NIP Group is leveraging ESV5’s local partnerships and expertise to increase brand awareness in China.

Alliance

PUBG Mobile

Alliance first entered PUBG Mobile in 2021 through a partnership with Yoodo, a major Malaysian telecom provider, forming Yoodo Alliance. However, with the latest announcement that it would be divesting the Yoodo brand, Alliance announced on August 5, 2024 that it was parting ways with its title sponsor.

The team is also a partner team in the PUBG Mobile esports ecosystem and participates in the PMSL SEA as Malaysia’s representative.

Wolves Esports

VALORANT, Call of Duty: Mobile and Honor of Kings

Wolves Esports is the esports division of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite its English roots, the club’s esports division is largely focused on the Chinese market. The organization currently has teams in Chinese esports in VALORANT, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Honor of Kings.

Wolves Esports’ CODM team is the reigning world champion. The VALORANT team, on the other hand, is a partner team in the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) China.

However, Wolves Esports is the most established in Honor of Kings, competing in the King Pro League (KPL) since 2017. Representing Chongqing, the team has a solid place in the league and has been very successful in the game. Most recently, Wolves Esports won the KPL 2024 Spring, taking home over $700,000 (~£551,000) of the $2 million (~£1.57 million) prize pool.