Esports tournament operator BLAST is set to host three major esports tournaments in Asia this November, as the company expands into the market even more.
In November, BLAST will host the Rainbow Six Osaka Major in Japan, BLAST Premier Rivals in Hong Kong and the Brawl Stars World Finals in Tokyo, Japan. These three events mark the biggest expansion into the region for the company yet, having only hosted four events in Asia in both 2024 and 2025 combined.
As one of the biggest markets for esports, heading to Asia is a natural fit for BLAST, which has recently expanded into the US. Now, alongside the publishers it works with, the company is targeting Asia for more and more events, which on paper sounds like a solid idea.
“Asia is already a major market for global gaming, with huge player and audience scale, passionate fan communities and cities that increasingly understand the cultural and economic value of major esports events,” said James Woollard, VP of Destinations & Market Development at BLAST. “Asia isn’t simply a market we want to reach, it is increasingly where gaming culture, innovation and fandom are shaping the future of the global industry, and we want BLAST to be at the heart of that growth.”
Two of the three events BLAST has planned for Asia are being operated in coordination with publishing partners. The Rainbow Six Osaka Major is operated in partnership with publisher Ubisoft, while the Brawl Stars World Finals is in partnership with publisher Supercell. For these publishers, Asia is a key market that is traditionally underserved by major esports events for global titles, so running events in the region with BLAST should increase each game’s visibility in the region.
“What we’re seeing from publishers, local partners and fans gives us real confidence to double down – not through one-off tournaments, but by building lasting relationships and returning with different games and experiences,” added Woollard. “Three major events across Osaka, Tokyo and Hong Kong in just 17 days is a clear statement of how important the region has become to BLAST’s global growth, and there is more to come in Asia in 2027, where we have already announced major tier one tournaments in Mongolia and Singapore. This builds on BLAST Asia events previously hosted in Hong Kong, China, and Singapore, where BLAST has a multi-event partnership. Asia is quickly becoming a BLAST hub, and key region.”
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The three events feature a combined prize pool of $2.6 million and are expected to bring thousands of fans to each city. Given the success of previous events in Asia and the muli-year deals BLAST has with some cities in the region such, the company is now looking at how it can work with local authorities to position esports events as major tourism boosts. In Hong Kong the BLAST Premier Rivals event attracted over 26,000 fan attendances from 58 countries, generating significant tourism based revenue for the city and local businesses.