Thiên Khôi Esports Emerges as a Hero
The year 2023 marked a significant downturn for AoE in Vietnam, overwhelmed by an incredibly stagnant and dark atmosphere. Not only was the number of professional AoE tournaments drastically limited, but even daily matches began to feel monotonous. The beloved game mode known as 4vs4 Random seemed to fade into obscurity, primarily because AoE clans were dissatisfied, lacking coordination, and often resorting to the sentiment of “there are no suitable competitors.” The dire situation had forced many professional players to be caught in a dilemma: continue immersing themselves in AoE or seek other forms of entertainment. However, on July 19 of that year, the community witnessed a glimmer of hope when Thiên Khôi Group – a powerful financial-backed organization, previously successful with a 7-person soccer movement – announced the establishment of a professional AoE team named Thiên Khôi Esports. The emergence of Thiên Khôi Esports immediately helped the AoE community address pressing issues: first and foremost, reviving a series of tournaments, including the Cam Quýt, Tiêu Màn Thầu, and Mai Cổ Tý, as well as enhancing the skill level of the 2k1 Bắc Ninh players. More importantly, they aimed to satisfy the desperate need for high-stakes AoE tournaments, especially the 4vs4 Random matches that players yearned for.
In early August, the Thiên Khôi Cup 2023 – a 4vs4 Random tournament – was organized, gathering 5 professional AoE clans: Thiên Khôi Esports, SBS (CSDN Studio), Vitamin, EGO, VEC, and one semi-professional clan, AoE Kinh Bắc. The tournament was a great success, creating a buzz in the community and paving the way for an exciting final quarter of the year, with high-quality matches and tournaments.
The Path of Thiên Khôi Esports Towards Comprehensive Reform
Thiên Khôi Esports clearly understands that reviving AoE is a challenging journey that requires not just individual efforts but also a collective commitment from the entire community. Consequently, they have outlined a long-term strategy, emphasizing clear goals and plans. Firstly, they aim to establish the Vietnam AoE Federation, expanding into a Vietnam-China AoE Alliance, where every professional AoE clan is treated as a member of the federation, enjoying equal rights and responsibilities when organizing tournaments. Next, they plan to introduce “Broadcast Rights” or “Image Rights” for professional AoE tournaments, intending to leverage the image of participating teams effectively, thus enabling AoE teams to gain significant income and recognition through their participation in tournaments.
Establishing these two concepts within a 15-year framework of professional AoE development in Vietnam has never been seen before in any organization. However, their emerging strategies are quite contemporary and reflect current trends, as the models of federations and image rights have been successfully applied in the development of sports (such as football) and electronic sports (like League of Legends). Therefore, Thiên Khôi Esports firmly believes that they align perfectly with the reality of AoE in Vietnam, which will help all professional AoE teams achieve substantial income through tournaments while creating a sustainable AoE ecosystem, allowing clans to develop together.
Not just for show, to illustrate the effectiveness of “Image Rights,” and to demonstrate their ambition to revive AoE, Thiên Khôi Esports has announced plans to organize professional tournaments in 2024. The inaugural event for “Image Rights” will be the Vietnam-China AoE Tournament – Thiên Khôi Cup, with a total prize pool exceeding 1 billion VND. Following this will be the Thiên Khôi Cup series 1, 2, and 3. Along with this, the organization also aims to apply “Image Rights” for various media tournaments like the Bé Yêu Cup 2024, Hanoi Open 2024, and tournaments organized by AoE China such as the Đại Sư Cup and Tinh Hoa Cup. In total, there will be 8 AoE tournaments applying “Image Rights” throughout 2024.
Conclusion: A New Era Begins but Challenges Remain
While the future ahead certainly appears bright, the initial achievements that Thiên Khôi Esports has attained cannot be overlooked. The first significant success is the Vietnam-China AoE Tournament 2024. This tournament not only marks a milestone for the struggling community but also serves as a testament to the effectiveness of implementing Image Rights, as participating teams have recognized substantial financial benefits, indicating a positive income stream alongside the contributions made.
Moreover, the tournament system organized by Thiên Khôi Esports, along with the tournaments applying Image Rights in 2024 (totaling 8 tournaments), has provided a good source of income for clans, including semi-professional ones. Even for non-professional players participating in tournaments, merely being featured in a tournament broadcast can yield income without needing to invest significantly. Nguyen Thanh Dung, a representative from Thiên Khôi Group, stated: “Broadcast rights are a financial resource recognizing the hard work of participating teams, regardless of winning or losing. Whether successful or not, those who rise to the pinnacle of glory in this discipline should appreciate the foundation, as it is they who create value and contribute significantly to the community.“
However, it is indeed unfortunate that the plans of Thiên Khôi Esports have yet to yield a tangible outcome. While clans EGO, VEC, and AoE Kinh Bắc maintain a significant presence in the community, the values brought by Image Rights have not been embraced by Chim Sẻ Đì Đành Studio and Vitamin. Both of these organizations continue to host tournaments but are reluctant to adapt their styles. Concurrently, there is a noticeable reluctance to purchase Image Rights from other organizations, nor do they sell Image Rights to interested parties. This situation has led to clan organizations like EGO and VEC to withdraw from participating in tournaments organized by CSDN Studio or Vitamin, as their income streams are not guaranteed.
Thiên Khôi Esports has expressed that they have attempted to negotiate with CSDN Studio and Vitamin multiple times, but after these efforts, there has been no consensus on the establishment of a federation or the development of Image Rights packages in tournaments.
A New Order of the AoE Community in Vietnam
With the tangible benefits that Image Rights bring, Thiên Khôi Esports has found a new direction for the community, aiming to create a professional, equal, and transparent financial landscape. However, when negotiations with Chim Sẻ Đì Đành Studio and Vitamin have not yielded critical developments, the state of AoE in Vietnam has returned to a “divided” state.
It could be that one side comprises Thiên Khôi Esports, EGO, VEC, and AoE Kinh Bắc, forming a unit that remains intact, while on the other side, Chim Sẻ Đì Đành Studio, Vitamin, and various casual players decide on their path moving forward. This has resulted in AoE tournaments since 2024 struggling to gather all the best players, as they also fail to attract significant audience participation, with all events being split.
Clearly, Thiên Khôi Esports is harboring ambitions to forge a powerful clan, with the goal of establishing a community capable of further development in the future. However, from before to now, every reform effort has yet to be prominent. AoE Vietnam now has Thiên Khôi Esports paving the way for essential transformations, but changes cannot rely solely on one side. To bring about change requires mutual agreement, unity, and, most importantly, a common vision – where all clans and audiences look towards a unified direction, working together to build a sustainable future for AoE in Vietnam.
