HUAWEI 1ST SMARTPHONE MAKER TO ADD ESPORTS TO NATIVE ASSISTANT APP

Chinese technology company Huawei has announced its Assistant will be the first virtual smartphone tool of its kind to support an esports ‘card’, providing live scores, results, and news from major events. 

According to Huawei, the global esports audience is estimated to hit 495 million viewers globally within three years, with the number of esports enthusiasts in Europe alone rising by 8.2% to 113 million users by 2023. 

In response, it has partnered with live score app developer SofaScore to integrate its new esports offering into its AI-based Assistant. 

Listed on AppGallery, SofaScore specialised in detailed sports data and analytics provided in real-time from sports events, leagues, and championships around the world. It is available in more than 30 languages, covers over 20 disciplines, and now has over 20 million monthly active users. 

The new esports integration will initially give Huawei smartphone users comprehensive esports information covering Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO), Dota 2, and League of Legends. 

“Interest in Esports is booming, and has now even accelerated in part thanks to many people spending more time at home. Players, enthusiasts and occasional viewers are increasingly expecting to be able to easily follow and watch Esports on their mobiles, particularly younger generations, many of whom are located in the Nordic countries and in Eastern and Central Europe,” commented Derek Yu, VP Huawei CEE & Nordic at Huawei Consumer BG. “By coming to this exclusive partnership with SofaScore, we are bringing the exciting world of Esports to Huawei smartphone users. They can now easily keep up with the latest action, scores and fixtures, through the virtual Assistant and in real time.”

“SofaScore is all about providing the best user experience in following and enjoying sports. We go to great lengths to not only listen to our users but also to give them that extra mile. Our partnership with Huawei is a true testament to that philosophy. We’ve ventured into esports by providing the best possible experience for our current and new users. The results we’ve seen so far proves we are going in the right direction”, said Ivan Bešlić, COO at SofaScore.

AYO.NEWS says:

Anything that makes esports more accessible can only be a good thing for the wider gaming and esports ecosphere, and considering Huawei is one of the world’s most popular smartphone brands (reaching 20% of global market share in Q2 2020, according to Statista), this integration should have a significant impact.