BOE, a Beijing-based solid-state display maker, built an immersive esports experience booth at Hengtong International Business Park in its hometown. Known as “BBBBox(BOE Big Best Box), from August 23 to September 7, the dedicated space will present the application of advanced display technologies in esports which were developed by BOE along with its partners including Lenovo, Intel, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com and smartphone maker OPPO.
Along with kicking off the event, the electronics company also publicly revealed its esports ambition, with the “Best of Esports” concept being central to the business strategy. It was coupled with the launch of the ‘Honor of Kings Challenger Cup’ co-hosted by BOE and People’s Esports (an esports social media account under state media, People’s Daily).
The series initiative coincided with two of the biggest events in esports, including the just-concluded “Peacekeeper Elite League Summer Finals” and the upcoming “2022 League of Legends World Championship.” , capitalizing on the heightened enthusiasm for video games during competitive season.
Adding to the buzz, BOE invited Sun Yiwen, a Chinese women’s epee gold medalist, at the launch event where the fencer joined the BOE team, cutting her teeth in esports. The Olympic champion’s endorsement of esports who has been sought after by brands such as Dior, Kappa and Olay has attracted wider offline participation from gaming enthusiasts. By engaging with the athlete, BOE is able to convey the message that esports can produce as much value as traditional sports while leveraging the national feel towards sports personalities.
As esports continues to expand its presence in China, generating a market value 167.3 billion RMB ($24.38 billion) and engaging with over 506 million players as of 2021with major post-90s and post-00s consumers, it also drove demand for display technology to enable a better gaming experience for generations of discerning gamers.
Due to the e-sports phenomenon, BOE’s display product shipments for gaming computers accounted for 39% of its total production in 2021 – the highest percentage among its global peers, which also represents doubled year-on-year growth. The latest move is a smart step by BOE to create synergy between its hardware development niche and video game content, accelerate the penetration of esports, which in turn will benefit the future growth of the business.
