Andrej Francisty, a 31-year-old American esports player for the G2 Esports team better known as "babybay", recently completed an "unbelievable" journey in Shanghai.
Francisty and his team finished in the top four at Valorant Champions 2026, one of the world's highest-level esports tournaments and the crowning event of the Valorant esports calendar.
The tournament, landing in China for the first time, ran from Sept 24 to Oct 18 in Shanghai and brought together 16 top-tier Valorant teams from across the world. In the grand finale, Brazilian team LOUD defeated France's Team Vitality 3-1 to secure the title. LOUD's 18-year-old Roberto "erde" Lobos was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP).
For Francisty, this journey is even more special beyond the victories. Marking his fourth time to China as an esports competitor, he has garnered many Chinese fans and sees the nation as "a second home".
"Good has always happened to me here. I've been here so many times and have always loved the food, people, and everything here. It feels like it's the right place to be," says Francisty with a big smile.
He first visited China about 15 years ago, when the then 16-year-old player came as a competitor for another esports tournament. Through ups and downs, he participated in the Valorant Shanghai Masters two years ago as a commentator, and found his way back to this city as an esports player once again.
Traveling the world for tournaments, Francisty is especially impressed by the rapid growth of the esports industry in the city and the country.
"China has always been impressive because it feels so futuristic and far ahead of other countries I've been to, such as the huge and fantastic stadiums, amazing architecture, convenience, and the vibrant esports culture and productions here. I totally love to play in China," he says.
In addition to players, most international esports organizations participating in this tournament, such as the renowned French esports organization Team Vitality and the Latin American esports organization Leviatan, are eyeing more opportunities in the country.
Launched 14 years ago, Team Vitality has grown into one of the world's largest esports organizations with nearly 20 teams worldwide. Fabien "Neo" Devide, the organization's co-founder, told China Daily that he was already blown away by China's esports scene 10 years ago, when he first visited China for a tournament. Over the past decade, he and his teams have also become "really good and close friends" with China's All Gamers Esports Group based in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
"We are opponents in the server, but after the game, we are also genuine friends and partners speaking the same language. We share the same objective: to make esports a better industry, community and ecosystem," says Devide.
Returning to China after 10 years, Devide said he is deeply impressed by the nation's fast development, and is especially captivated by Shanghai's perfect blend of modernity and history, as well as its energy. In particular, in the esports sector, he highlights the nation's scale and flourishing ecosystem, and the passionate, caring and creative local community.
"The venue, infrastructure, production quality, number of attendees, and the spotlighted exposure (in this tournament) are all very impressive. China definitely has the best model and ecosystem right now to make the esports industry more sustainable with more future growth. We need to learn from the Chinese model and discover more," he adds.
As Team Vitality continues to connect with Chinese esports fans, Leviatan is also actively engaging the local community with a variety of fan activities across Shanghai.
Guido Gernetti, co-founder and COO of Leviatan, said that China means a lot to the organization, and they hope to give back the "incredible" passion and love they have received from Chinese fans.
"We have a lot to learn about how the Chinese ecosystem works. We are opening our company in Shanghai soon. We want to be a key partner of the Chinese ecosystem, and be the bridge between China and overseas fandom," says Gernetti.
wangxin2@chinadaily.com.cn
