Chen Zhengzheng, the 28-year-old professional gamer known as 'Cat', has become one of the most recognisable faces in competitive mobile gaming, holding five international championships in Tencent Holdings' flagship title Honor of Kings. His journey — from a small city in Shandong province to the Esports World Cup (EWC) stage in Paris — illustrates how dramatically competitive gaming has scaled in China over the past decade.

From Shandong to the Esports World Cup stage

Chen began playing Honor of Kings in 2015 and quickly entered the competitive circuit. His first tournament was held in the southern Chinese city of Changsha — a journey that, at the time, required an overnight ride on China's 'green train', the infamously slow but affordable rail service. The contrast with competing in Paris in 2026 could not be starker.

At a recent convention hall in Paris, hundreds of fans erupted in cheers as players — including Cat — demonstrated their skills in a friendly exhibition match, dispatching opponents within seconds. The spectacle underscored how Honor of Kings, long dominant in China, has expanded its footprint to international audiences.

Why it matters

Tencent Holdings' Honor of Kings is the world's highest-grossing mobile game by several industry estimates, and its esports ecosystem has grown in lockstep. The presence of a marquee event in Paris signals that mobile esports — once dismissed as a secondary tier beneath PC titles — is now competing for mainstream global audiences alongside traditional sports.

'When I first turned pro, I had no idea this many people would be watching,' Chen said earlier this month. 'Later I found out that, wow, there are actually people buying tickets and travelling to different cities just to watch me play. That's pretty amazing.'

The competitive backdrop

Mobile esports has seen explosive audience growth across Asia, with China at its centre. Titles like Honor of Kings have benefited from ubiquitous smartphone penetration and an established tournament infrastructure backed by major publishers. The EWC in Paris represents a deliberate push to globalise what has historically been an Asia-Pacific-dominated competitive scene.

For players like Cat, whose entire skill set revolves around dual-thumb mobile controls, international recognition was far from guaranteed when they first went professional. The sport's growth has validated that bet.

What's next

As the Esports World Cup continues to expand its roster of titles and host cities, the trajectory for mobile esports appears firmly upward. Whether Honor of Kings can sustain its dominance against emerging competitors — and whether players like Chen Zhengzheng can extend careers into their thirties — will be the defining questions for the next chapter of competitive mobile gaming.