Visa to sponsor Hearthstone World Championship 2019 bringing one of the most popular eSports events to Taiwan

04/26/2019

  • Visa 2019 Taiwan eSports Index: Taiwanese gamers spend at least NT$1,000 per month on gaming(1)
  • Taiwan gaming population is at least 14.5 million(2)

Taipei, Taiwan, Visa, the global leader in digital payment technology, sponsors Hearthstone World Championship 2019 in Taiwan in collaboration with developer and publisher of entertainment software Blizzard Entertainment.

The Hearthstone World Championship 2019 will be held at Heping Stadium Taipei from April 25 to April 28. Visa offers world-class fan experiences and onsite activation across the four days of tournament, as well as exclusive gifts from purchase of Hearthstone's any in-app product.

Marco Ma, Visa General Manager, Taiwan:"Competitive gaming is gaining popularity and recognition in Taiwan, particularly among millennials and Generation Z. Visa is proud to support eSports and players of all levels through this sponsorship. Our aim is to reduce payment friction with Visa's fast, convenient, and secure payment solutions, so gamers can focus on what they enjoy most – gaming".(3)

From today to June 30, 2019, all Visa cardholders in Taiwan can enjoy Visa's exclusive offer of gift pack containing five Hearthstone cards and one online arena ticket, when making single purchase over NT$590 at Blizzard Entertainment Online Store4.  Visa cardholder can redeem the gift pack on a monthly basis and a maximum three gift packs will be available for Visa cardholder during the promotion period.

According to Visa 2019 Taiwan eSports Index, Taiwanese gamers spend an average of NT$1,078 per month on purchasing game-related products. Credit card is the preferred payment method, accounting for two in five of all purchases (39%), followed by cash or cash top-up at convenience stores and other venues (30%). Mobile payment or mobile wallet is the third most popular method (19%).

Taiwan ranked 15th in global gaming market, with total gaming population of at least 14.5 million, spending more than 1.3 billion US dollars (approx. NT$40 billion) per year in 2018.1
Security is a concern. More than half of respondents (58%) have reservation when paying online; while 38% think that going to convenience store to top up is too time consuming.

"Visa is working with our online partners to tokenize online and mobile payments. Tokenization replaces sensitive account information such as account numbers with unique digital identifier or token. To date, more than 300 million tokens are deployed in 54 markets, including Taiwan, making Visa the largest digital token use case enabler in the world. Ultimately, we want players to enjoy their gaming – knowing that Visa provides fast, safe and secure payments,"added Mr. Ma.

*Terms and conditions apply to all offers. For more details, please visit:
http://bit.ly/Visa_FY19Hearthstoneoffer

 

About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and Visa Blog Visa Asia Pacific News Room

 

  • New Zoo (July 4 2018), Taiwan Games Market 2018. Retrieved from:https://newzoo.com/insights/infographics/taiwan-games-market-2018/
  • Source: “2019 Taiwan eSports Gamer Index” was an online survey conducted in April 2019 by YouGov on behalf of Visa to track Taiwan perception about esports gaming. The survey interviewed 467 respondents aged above 18.
  • Subject to applicable terms and conditions.
  • Blizzard EntertainmentOnline Store Official Website: (https://tw.shop.battle.net/zh-tw
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