Hero Esports Harnesses AI Technology to Expand Its Global Gaming Presence

Hero Esports, a Chinese esports company backed by Tencent Holdings and Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group, is using artificial intelligence to improve its operations and expand globally.

"We are pilot-testing several AI models, including DeepSeek, in all aspects of the business," said Danny Tang, co-founder and CEO of Hero Esports, in an interview with SCMP.

The company is incorporating a local version of DeepSeek to analyze patents and old contracts to find areas that might "require more attention," according to Tang.

Tang explained that one important goal of using AI is to give their 1,200 employees more time for creative work. The company has built its own AI tools to make many production tasks easier, such as setting schedules, automating camera operations, and creating highlight videos.

According to reports, Hero Esports has already implemented its AI OB system—which analyzes data during live events—in tournaments for popular games like PUBG Mobile and its Chinese version, Peacekeeper Elite. Both games are published by Tencent.

Founded in 2016 and renamed from VSPO last year, the company runs more than 80 tournaments and 7,000 matches yearly, reaching an online audience of over 800 million fans.

This year, Hero Esports is hosting the Asian Champions League (ACL), the first multi-game esports tournament in Asia. The competition features 9 games, including Tencent's Honour of Kings and global hits like Valorant and Counter-Strike 2. The ACL finals will happen in May, with winners qualifying for the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia starting in July.

Tang also highlighted China's importance in the esports scene, mentioning that Chinese viewers alone accounted for over half of the 250 million hours watched during last year's Esports World Cup.