At a time when the governing bodies of professional AoE are struggling to find ways to revive the legendary Age of Empires game, while many professional AoE players are considering retirement, a completely new name has emerged with a bold idea aimed at helping AoE Vietnam overcome the crisis and keep pace with the general trend of other esports disciplines. That name is Thiên Khôi Esports.
Thiên Khôi Esports – “a refreshing rain in a barren land”
The year 2023 witnessed the AoE Vietnam scene shrouded in a very gloomy atmosphere. Not only is the number of professional AoE tournaments extremely limited, but even daily friendly matches have gradually lost their spark. The beloved spiritual food known as 4vs4 Random has even been forgotten, simply because AoE clans lack enthusiasm, motivation, and ironically, “do not have enough players to compete.” The unstable income has forced many professional gamers to stand at a crossroads: continue with their passion for AoE or retire. Some have chosen the latter to seek more suitable jobs to ensure their livelihoods.
However, on July 19 of that year, Thiên Khôi Group – a unit in the brokerage technology field that had previously succeeded in the 7-a-side football scene – announced the establishment of a professional AoE team named Thiên Khôi Esports. The emergence of Thiên Khôi Esports immediately helped the AoE community address some of the most essential issues: Firstly, it “resurrected” several players on the brink of retirement, such as Cam Quýt, Tiểu Màn Thầu, and Mai Cồ Tý, while also elevating young talents like 2k1 Bắc Ninh. Subsequently, it quenched the thirst for high-level AoE tournaments, as well as the demand for 4vs4 Random matches among fans.
Right at the beginning of August, the AoE Thiên Khôi Cup 2023 – 4vs4 Random tournament was organized, gathering 5 professional AoE clans including: host 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 positive impact in the community and opening up a lively end-of-year period with friendly matches as well as high-quality AoE tournaments.
The vision for the rise of AoE Vietnam
Following the positive signals, Thiên Khôi Esports proposed a long-term, clear, and systematic roadmap. First is the idea of establishing the Vietnam AoE Association, and more broadly, the Vietnam-China AoE Federation, in which each professional AoE clan is a member of the association, enjoying equal rights and obligations when jointly organizing tournaments. Next is the proposal for “Broadcasting Rights” or “Image Rights” in professional AoE tournaments, aimed at efficiently exploiting the images of players and teams, thereby helping AoE players receive sustainable and fair income corresponding to their contributions in the tournaments.
These are indeed two bold ideas in the 15-year history of professional AoE in Vietnam that no organization has considered before. In fact, both the Association/Federation model and the Image Rights concept have been successfully implemented in the development of sports (like football) and esports (like League of Legends). Therefore, Thiên Khôi Esports believes that they are completely suitable for the reality of AoE Vietnam, aiming to ensure that all professional AoE players receive commensurate income in tournaments, while also creating a truly sustainable AoE system to help organizations develop together.
To prove the effectiveness of the “Image Rights” and to show its desire to elevate AoE Vietnam, Thiên Khôi Esports has organized many professional tournaments in 2024. Kicking off the “Image Rights” is the Vietnam-China AoE tournament – Thiên Khôi Cup, with a total prize pool and image rights worth over 1 billion VND. Following that are the first, second, and third Thiên Khôi Cups. Additionally, this organization has successfully bid for the “Image Rights” package in traditional tournaments such as Bé Yêu Cup 2024, Hanoi Open 2024, or tournaments organized by China AoE such as the Grandmaster Cup, Elite Cup. In total, there are 8 AoE tournaments applying the “Image Rights” package in 2024.
Results: A new phase begins but is not complete
While it is known that the road ahead is undoubtedly long, the initial achievements that Thiên Khôi Esports has made for AoE Vietnam cannot be denied. First is the resounding success of the Vietnam-China AoE 2024 tournament. The tournament not only made a mark with fans from both countries but also initially demonstrated the correctness of the Image Rights concept, as all participating gamers received tangible benefits, namely income commensurate with their contributions.
Along with that, the tournament system organized by Thiên Khôi Esports, as well as tournaments applying the Image Rights in 2024 (a total of 8 tournaments), has brought a good income for clans, including semi-professional ones. Even for amateur players participating in the qualifying rounds, simply being on air for one match allows them to receive image rights payment instead of leaving empty-handed. Bầu Dũng of Thiên Khôi Esports shared: “The broadcasting rights are a financial acknowledgment of the players’ efforts, regardless of whether they win or lose. Whether you succeed or fail, those who reach the pinnacle of this discipline should thank you, as you are the ones who help them create value and establish their place in the community.”
However, it is regrettable that Thiên Khôi Esports’ plan has not yet produced a complete result. While three clans EGO, VEC, and AoE Kinh Bắc, along with a part of the audience in the community, support the values brought by the “Image Rights”, Chim Sẻ Đi Nắng Studio and Vitamin are unwilling to change. These two entities want to continue organizing tournaments in the traditional way. They have also made it clear that they will not purchase “Image Rights” from other entities, nor will they sell “Image Rights” to those in need. This has led clans like EGO, VEC, etc., to lose interest in participating in tournaments organized by CSDN Studio or Vitamin, as their income is not guaranteed.
Thiên Khôi Esports has stated that they have made several efforts to convince CSDN Studio and Vitamin, but have not received agreement on establishing the association or building Image Rights packages for tournaments.
The “new order” of the AoE Vietnam community
With the tangible values that “Image Rights” bring, Thiên Khôi Esports has found a new direction for the community, which is a modern, professional, equal, and financially transparent approach. However, as long as dialogues with Chim Sẻ Đi Nắng Studio and Vitamin do not reach necessary agreements, AoE Vietnam finds itself in a state of “division”.
Specifically, one side includes Thiên Khôi Esports, EGO, VEC, AoE Kinh Bắc, and a segment of fans wholeheartedly supporting Image Rights. The other half consists of Chim Sẻ Đi Nắng Studio, Vitamin, and fans who firmly oppose changes to continue down the old path as before. This division has caused AoE tournaments from 2024 to the present to fail to gather all the best talents, nor achieve the expected viewership, as everything is split into two halves.
Clearly, Thiên Khôi Esports harbors a strong desire for reform, aiming to lay the foundation for a future where the AoE community can develop further. However, historically, all reforms have never been easy. AoE Vietnam has Thiên Khôi Esports paving the way for the necessary transformation, but ultimately, change cannot come from one side alone. Achieving change requires consensus, unity, and, more importantly, a shared vision – where all clans and fans look in the same direction, working together to build a sustainable future for AoE Vietnam.
Hoàng Dương