Wolves Esports, the esports division of football club Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, has announced that its FIFA Online and PUBG Mobile teams will compete as Shenzhen Wolves in the future.
The move is a result of a partnership between Wolves and the Nanshan District Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports in Shenzhen. The teams will carry Shenzhen and Nanshan District branding on their jerseys and compete in regional leagues.
The two rosters are not the only Wolves Esports teams in China. The organisation fields five other rosters in the country: Honor of Kings, QQ Speed, Call of Duty Mobile, Identity V, and Naraka: Bladepoint.
In an interview with Esports Insider, Clarie Teng, the General Manager of Wolves Esports China, said Wolves is pushing itself in China because it is the largest esports market, and the biggest market for growing a fanbase.
The two parties noted that the renaming of the teams follows on from Wolves entering PUBG Mobile’s Peacekeeper Elite League in December 2022.
Wolves is one of the most prominent Premier League football clubs in the esports space. Apart from a growing presence in China, Wolves is a notable partner of North American esports organisation Evil Geniuses and also fields a Rainbow Six: Siege roster in Europe.
The club is the first one in the Premier League that had its own esports division.
Deng Houjun, president of Fosun Sports, commented: “As a global esports club, Wolves Esports are highly compatible with Shenzhen’s strategic goal of building an international esports city, and the international and innovative city culture.
“Shenzhen and Nanshan District have top advantages in esports industry foundation, esports market atmosphere and in-depth understanding of the industry.”
