October 15, 2024
VSPO joins Esports Integrity Commission, Further Strengthening Global Esports Integrity Standards
LONDON, United Kingdom – The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) is proud to announce that VSPO, the largest esports company in Asia, has officially become an ESIC member. Founded in 2016, VSPO has established itself as a key player in the global esports industry after hosting events across Asia, Europe and North America. This membership demonstrates VSPO’s commitment to promoting fairness, transparency, and ethical conduct in the global esports ecosystem.
VSPO is renowned for its end-to-end esports offerings, including tournament operations, content production, talent incubation and integrated marketing solutions. The company recently announced the Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia’s new premier international esports tournament featuring multiple titles. It has previously hosted high-profile esports events such as the Honor of Kings Pro League (KPL), PUBG Global Championship (PGC), and the esports series at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, collaborating with major game developers and global brands.
By joining ESIC as a member, VSPO aligns with the industry’s most rigorous and widely accepted integrity standards, ensuring the protection and sustainability of its own tournaments and further supporting the esports industry as it continues to grow on a global scale. This will include enforcing ESIC’s Integrity Program across all tournaments and events, which addresses cheating, match-fixing, doping and other unethical behaviours.
As an ESIC member, VSPO commits to upholding the integrity of the esports ecosystem by adopting ESIC’s codes of conduct, cooperating with investigations and enforcing any sanctions imposed by ESIC. This ensures a consistent, global approach to maintaining fair play and transparency, safeguarding the credibility of esports for players, teams and fans alike.
VSPO becomes part of a prestigious roster of ESIC members, which includes some of the world’s most prominent tournament organisers such as ESL FACEIT Group, BLAST, LVP (MEDIAPRO Group) and NODWIN Gaming. VSPO membership comes as the company enters an exciting period. Last week it announced that Founder Dino Ying has transitioned to Executive Chairman, with Co-Founder Danny Tang becoming CEO. VSPO is also set to be renamed to Hero Esports, aligning with its domestic brand as part of its ongoing global growth strategy.
Stephen Hanna, Chief Executive Officer of ESIC commented on the new membership: “VSPO’s commitment to excellence and its global influence makes it an invaluable addition to our growing membership of leading esports stakeholders. VSPO’s membership reinforces the importance of a unified approach to integrity, and we look forward to working together to ensure that the global esports industry continues to grow on a foundation of fairness and trust.”
Danny Tang, CEO and Co-Founder of VSPO, commented: “We are proud to join a community that shares our commitment to maintaining the integrity of the esports ecosystem, protecting the credibility of esports for players and fans. A united front is the only way to ensure all participants can thrive, knowing that their efforts and talents are respected and valued.”
About ESIC:
ESIC is the recognised guardian of the integrity of esports and works to disrupt, prevent, investigate, and prosecute all forms of cheating and malpractice in esports. Its overarching objective is to protect youth, promote industry investment, and safeguard the sporting integrity of esports. By addressing issues such as cheating, match-fixing, and doping, ESIC works to ensure fair play and integrity across all esports competitions. It collaborates with publishers, tournament organizers, and other stakeholders to establish unified standards for competition integrity, fostering a safe and equitable environment for all participants in the global video games and esports ecosystem.
About VSPO (soon to be Hero Esports):
Founded in 2016, VSPO is the biggest esports company in Asia, producing more than 7,000 matches every year that captivate an online fan base of over 800 million. With a global presence encompassing 12 office locations and eight top-tier esports arenas, VSPO offers a comprehensive suite of esports services, including tournament organization, marketing solutions, community development, and more. As a private company, VSPO counts Savvy Games Group and Tencent, among others, as investors, with Kuaishou and Huya as strategic partners.
Headquartered in Shanghai and employing more than 1,400 employees, VSPO is a fully integrated operator of esports tournaments and creator of esports content with global reach. The company has helped produce many prestigious tournaments including the Olympic Esports Week, the Esports World Cup as well as the esports series featured at both the Jakarta Asian Games 2018 and the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. VSPO also worked with the world’s top-tier game publishers such as Tencent and Krafton in organizing popular esports leagues such as the Honor of Kings’ KPL series and PUBG’s PGC series, among many others. In 2024, VSPO launched Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia’s premier international, multi-title esports tournament.
VSPO is also a pioneer in the commercialization of esports tournaments worldwide and was among the first to start helping brands to tap the power of esports in their integrated marketing strategies, including partnerships with notable clients, including McDonald’s, VIVO, OPPO, Pudong Development Bank, BMW, HLAJEANS, and others, to facilitate the commercialization of esports.
Following VSPO’s acquisition of Famulei, the leading livestreaming talent agency in Asia, and Banana Culture, a trendsetting esports startup, VSPO launched VSPO+, a content matrix brand that manages and represents more than 15,000 artists. https://vspo.gg/