Tencent Reportedly Opening Esports Themed Cafes in China

Chinese tech giant, Tencent, was in the news recently for reasons that weren’t favorable for them. The most recent shock they received was the Indian Government’s decision to ban PUBG Mobile in the country. This obviously had adverse effects on their stock, but it seems they already had their focus on other plans.

According to Twitter user Daniel Ahmad, Tencent planned to open around 1,500 Esports themed cafes in collaboration with Canadian brand Tim Hortons.

Tencent plans to open 1,500 Esports cafes in China

Adding to this, Ahmad said, “The traditional Internet Cafe business model needs innovation and offline mobile gaming / esports cafe’s is one avenue being explored.

-Customised spaces: 

Fast Wi-fi, Gaming chairs, fast charging ports etc…

Traditional food and drink experience

In store events”

That was just the tip of the iceberg. He also mentioned, “Coffee shops can become the third place for gamers and esports fans in the offline world.

-Backing from Tencent will allow for a broad range of content / initiatives in store.

-Drive customer loyalty through experience”

Additionally, he also revealed that the first store is scheduled to open in November this year.

Also Read: What Does President Trump’s Ban on Tencent Mean for Fortnite and League of Legends?

Investments in Riot Games and Epic Games

This news was surprising, but not to the point of being shocking. Tencent definitely had this planned long ago and wanted to establish its dominance in the gaming industry even further. Additionally, the tech behemoth also had other big investments. It had already acquired stakes in major game companies all over the world. Epic Games (creator of Fortnite) and Riot Games (creator of Valorant and League of Legends) were just a few examples of their reach.

This announcement definitely meant that the company looked to expand its horizons. Their recent losses were massive, and they definitely had to do something to deal with it. According to Business Insider India, “The Chinese technology mammoth Tencent has lost nearly $34 billion (HK$ 261.05) of its market value over the last two days after news of its signature battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile being banned by the Indian government.”

This new collaboration with Tim Hortons seems to have been a carefully thought out decision. Not only will it help Tencent cover their losses but also will open up many avenues. They also must’ve planned to launch this in other countries but for now, they only have plans for China.