E-Sports was also classified as one of the sports events. With the development of technology, the internet was everywhere, and E-Sports had penetrated into people's lives. It caught up from behind and squeezed out some of the old sports events, becoming the most popular sports event in the world.
Besides film, music, and live broadcasts, there was another big draw, and that was gaming. Its status in the New Era was even higher than soccer and basketball in the Old Era!
Esports had no shortage of stars. The main players of Yanzhou's five big esports clubs had the same influence as Silver Wing's A-level stars. Every time they participated in a large-scale competition, these main players would compete at the same time, and the impact would naturally be greater.
Song Miao sighed. "After today's episode of a niche drama airs, it will be on hiatus. We will have to wait until February or March next year to see the next episode."
"There's no other way. If we continue, we will lose money," Zu Wen said.
Because the soon-to-be-released "Battle of the Century" had attracted too much attention and popularity, online viewership for films and TV series had actually been on the decline since the beginning of the year. There had been a sharp drop in July and August. If they had continued to release it in September, perhaps the viewership would have dropped to a level that would have disappointed investors. Therefore, besides a few popular series, the rest had all entered hiatus to make way for "Battle of the Century."
"Yesterday in the group chat, I heard from the film and television department that the company has recalled a few stars with dual careers in film, television, and gaming. They are probably preparing for publicity," Rodney said.
"Dual careers in film, television, and gaming?" Fang Zhao really did not know much about this.
"They are professional actors and, at the same time, professional esports players," Zu Wen explained.
Some gaming stars would end up acting in films as they played. Some who were past their prime would also be signed and become stars with dual careers in film, television, and gaming. There were also some who were discovered when they were still students. After signing with the company, the company would arrange for them to enter professional esports clubs and become professional esports players.
"These are all considered investments by the company. They have been laying in ambush for years, just for this moment. However, I feel that even if the company were to recall those people, they would not be able to make much of a splash. They would not be able to stop them. Think about 10 years ago... Oh, right, Boss, 10 years ago you were still in middle school, and you did not pay much attention to this, "Zu Wen said.
The next day, Fang Zhao understood what Zu Wen meant by "unstoppable."
The day before, there had been quite a few movie stars appearing on the headlines of major entertainment media, but today, the top ten trending topics of major media were dominated by news related to gaming clubs.
The overwhelming news, movies, and music had all served as a foil to it.
All the major eSports clubs had started preparing a year in advance and had rejected all sorts of competitions. Even if they did participate, they would only send out their second or third teams. After selecting players from various games, they were all training for "Battle of the Century". It was said that there were a few teams that had commissioned military academies to undergo military training for a few months. Previously, they had been in closed-door training, and it was only today that they were released.
When Fang Zhao was watching the news, he realized that the trending topics in entertainment news were all E-Sports stars, and more than 90% of them were from Yanzhou's five big E-Sports clubs. A certain well-known E-Sports player riding a bicycle could also be trending.
And that was just the beginning.
Aug. 26, Qi'an City's People's Stadium, which was also Yanzhou's largest stadium, Big Dipper e-Sports Club, one of Yanzhou's five big E-Sports clubs, held a pre-battle vow. Millions of fans were present, and those who could not enter the stadium waited outside.
Aug. 27, Qi'an City's business center's tallest building, "Jungle Light," Transcendental e-Sports Club held a pre-battle vow. The venue was packed.
Aug. 29, 2S e-Sports Club booked Yanzhou's largest park to hold a pre-battle vow. The live broadcast channel was so lively that it almost jammed.
Aug. 30, BOOM e-Sports Club climbed Yanzhou's tallest mountain to hold a pre-battle vow. The cameraman was frozen like a dog.
Aug. 31, HWR e-Sports Club held a pre-battle vow on an online virtual stage. Captain Jose said, "We are the most low-key." After that, they released a video showing off their skills in Old Era motorcycles and cars, inciting incessant screams from fans. A number of fans fainted from the excitement and were sent to the hospital.
Although the game would be officially released in October, the entire month of September would be undergoing adaptation training. For commercial e-sports clubs, the battle had already begun.
Sept. 1, 8 a.m., Fiery Bird officially announced that the age limit for "Battle of the Century" had been increased from the original 16 to 18. It clearly stated that those under 18 were not allowed to enter.
An hour after the announcement was made, hundreds of 17-year-olds gathered at Fiery Bird's entrance to hold a sit-in. They wanted to force Fiery Bird to lower the age limit to 17. Then, their parents were called.
Fiery Bird's official spokesperson publicly explained that protesting at their entrance was useless. This age limit was jointly set by the E-Sports League and the relevant departments. It was also for the sake of everyone.
Although children in the New Era matured early because of the internet, and children who were slightly older already knew a lot, it did not mean that they had matured mentally. Their worldview and values could still be seriously affected by a small matter. Previously, Fiery Bird had estimated the age limit to be 16, but now they had raised it again. This was also a decision they had made after careful consideration. The game was too dangerous, and minors were allowed to enter.
Fang Zhao received a call from Su Hou early in the morning.
As he had not reached the age limit, Su Hou could not play "Battle of the Century," so he had run over to Fang Zhao to act pitiful. His goal was to borrow Curly Hair.
Su Hou had bought a few good shepherd dogs and hired people to train them, but the results were not good. Thus, he wanted to borrow Curly Hair. Perhaps under Curly Hair's influence, those dogs would learn faster. It had been like that back at Shanmu Farm.
Fang Zhao did not immediately agree. He needed to think it over first.
After ending the call with Su Hou, Fang Zhao called Curly Hair over.
"Want to go to Muzhou's farm to play? Su Hou called to borrow you for a while. "
"Woof!" Curly Hair's tail wagged especially jubilantly. It was obvious that he was very excited.
He preferred to run freely on real grasslands. His home was still too small. He was used to running on the grasslands on the farm, so when he returned to Qi'an City, he felt that the space was too small.
"Remember what I told you before. When you get there, guard the farm well."
"Woof!"
"I will get Su Hou to come pick you up."
"Woof!"
Curly Hair ran around the house excitedly.
After Fang Zhao replied to Su Hou, Su Hou was very happy. He had been waiting for this message. "I will immediately head over from Muzhou to pick up the dog."
Ding!
Suddenly, there was a new notification.
Fang Zhao gave Su Hou's address and said a few more words before ending the call and checking the message.
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