As Chinese esports giant NIP Group plans to establish a global headquarters in the Middle East, co-founder Hicham Chahine is considering how to capitalise on opportunities in vastly different video gaming markets.
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“The West is very accustomed to PCs, consoles,” Chahine told the Post in an interview on May 14. “In China, gaming is a mobile phenomenon, led by companies like Tencent and NetEase.”
For Chahine, the existence of super apps such as WeChat, owned by video gaming behemoth Tencent Holdings, means distribution in China is less complicated than in other markets.
“In China, we see the emergence of super apps that consolidate many services into one place,” Chahine said. “In contrast, the West is more fragmented, with gaming spread across PCs, consoles, Instagram, Facebook, and various other platforms.”
“Overall, China is much more developed and consolidated, while the West is more fragmented regarding these core themes,” he added.
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Established after the merger of Sweden’s Ninjas in Pyjamas and China’s ESV5 in 2021, with co-founder Mario Ho Yau-kwan, NIP is best known for its professional teams in the video games Counter-Strike and League of Legends. Last year, it listed on the Nasdaq, becoming China’s first esports stock.
NIP is now seeking new growth opportunities in untapped markets as it grapples with slow growth.