Keyboards, mice, headsets, gaming chairs—much of the equipment used daily by esports players is made in Guangdong. This year, SBARDA became a partner of the Guangdong Esports Super League (GESL), providing gaming peripherals support for the tournament. Zhang Yi, head of business operations at SBARDA, said the greatest significance of partnering with esports events lies in maintaining consistent brand visibility among young consumers, while also opening up offline channels, building brand content assets, and connecting with more industrial resources through a provincial-level tournament platform.

According to Zhang, one of the greatest values of GESL is that it helps local gaming peripherals companies in Guangdong move beyond the entrenched impression that they are merely original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). "The tournament brings game companies, hardware manufacturers, and culture-tourism and commercial districts together on the same platform. Internally, it links up the industrial chain; externally, it showcases Guangdong's integrated strengths in game development, hardware manufacturing, and culture-tourism integration. It allows more people to see that Guangdong's esports industry is not only capable of making products, but also of building brands," he said.

That confidence is underpinned by Guangdong's complete manufacturing system. Take SBARDA as an example: for its keyboard products, everything from switches and components to final assembly can be completed in Dongguan. The local supply chain enables the company to respond quickly to market demand and significantly improve the speed of product iteration. Zhang said this manufacturing efficiency is a competitive edge that other regions would find difficult to replicate in the short term.

As more esports events take root in Guangdong, local brands are also setting their sights overseas. SBARDA plans to continue refining its products through GESL and gradually expand into markets including Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.

从代工厂到自主品牌，电竞粤超赋能广东外设产业

键盘、鼠标、耳机、电竞椅……这些电竞玩家每天接触的装备，很多都诞生于广东。今年，思巴达成为电竞粤超合作伙伴，为赛事提供电竞外设支持。思巴达业务负责人张毅认为，企业携手电竞赛事，最大的意义是让品牌持续进入年轻消费者的视野，同时打通线下渠道、积累品牌内容资产，并借助省级赛事平台，对接更多产业资源。

张毅表示，电竞粤超最大的价值之一，就是帮助广东本土外设企业摆脱“只会代工”的固有印象。“赛事把游戏企业、硬件厂商、文旅商圈聚拢到同一个平台，对内串联产业链，对外展示广东‘游戏研发+硬件制造+文旅融合’的一体化优势，让更多人看到广东电竞产业不仅能生产产品，也能打造品牌。”

这种底气，来自广东完整的制造体系。以思巴达为例，其键盘产品从轴体、配件到整机生产均可在东莞完成，本地供应链让企业能够快速响应市场需求，也大幅提升产品迭代效率。张毅说，这种制造效率，是其他地区短时间内难以复制的竞争力。

随着越来越多电竞赛事落地广东，本土品牌的目光也开始投向海外。思巴达计划依托电竞粤超不断打磨产品，逐步拓展东南亚、欧美等市场。

文丨记者 陈旭泽
图丨记者 柳诚
翻译丨郑奕玲
审校丨盛嘉