PTG translation of the supplied Chinese release.
On November 6, the “Fight of the Golden Spatula 2027: A New Chapter — Esports Upgrade · PC Launch” presentation was held at 御宴宫 in Xi’an. Coinciding with the semifinals of the 2026 Fight of the Golden Spatula Open Championship autumn split, the game announced its 2027 esports system upgrade plan and shared new information about its PC edition.
At the event, Huang Lingdong, Tencent Games vice president and China lead for Fight of the Golden Spatula at Tencent Interactive Entertainment, shared product and player-ecosystem results and announced future competition upgrades. Ye Jing, the game’s publishing executive producer at Tencent Interactive Entertainment, introduced a PC edition built specifically for computers.
Starting from players’ enthusiasm, Fight of the Golden Spatula said it would continue to broaden participation in strategy competition and help more players join the next chapter.
Moving forward with 240 million players, with CNY 1 billion more over three years
Over the past five years, Fight of the Golden Spatula has become part of players’ daily routines. Whether starting a match on the go, sharing team compositions with friends or reviewing a pivotal round, the enjoyment of strategy competition has extended beyond the game itself.
At the presentation, Huang said the game had surpassed 240 million registered users and 50 million monthly active users in its first five years. Topics related to the game had generated more than 270 billion plays across the internet. In September alone, game-related content received more than 10 million views per hour across the internet. As player discussion and content creation have grown, more ways have emerged for people to see and share standout moments from a match.
To continue responding to players’ expectations for game content, player culture and competitive experiences, Huang announced that Fight of the Golden Spatula would invest a further CNY 1 billion over the next three years in ecosystem development, including player culture, creator support and esports. The investment will continue across the game, content, community and competitions, with the aim of offering different kinds of players more ways to take part and supporting the long-term development of strategy competition.
Seven upgrades for participatory esports, with a CNY 10 million annual championship pool
In strategy games, competition is shaped not only by the final result but also by each choice and in-game adjustment. Fight of the Golden Spatula said it wants to develop an esports path for strategy competition: making top-level play visible while giving more ordinary players the chance to compete. The goal of giving every enthusiast an opportunity to take the stage is the starting point for the game’s exploration of strategy esports.
With “participatory esports” as its guiding idea, the team has continued to improve event tools, competition pathways and professional commentary, aiming to make it easier to enter tournaments, more compelling to watch, and easier for audiences to understand players’ decisions and strategic contests. Huang also shared participation figures: each of the past two years saw more than 10 million entries across Fight of the Golden Spatula competitions.
The 2027 esports system will receive seven upgrades. First, the competition structure will become “three plus one”: three national open tournaments (JOC) each year, plus a new annual championship. Top players from different competition stages will meet at the anniversary event to compete for the title of “champion of champions.” An annual points table will also connect results across national opens, peak-level competitions, platform tournaments and university competitions, making each appearance and accumulated result part of the path to year-end honors.
The prize structure will also become more rewarding. In 2027, the total esports prize pool is planned to double from 2026. The annual championship ecosystem prize pool will reach CNY 10 million, with CNY 3 million in total for the annual champion. From progressing through open tournaments to competing on the annual stage, the plan aims to give players clearer competitive goals.
The viewing experience will also be refreshed. A new octagonal stage will seat eight players around one chess table for a match. A dedicated fan area and multiple commentary perspectives are intended to help the live audience better understand the decisions behind each strategic contest.
Outside the competition, the in-person experience will be developed into a gathering for players: watching matches, meeting streamers, talking with fellow fans or sitting down for a game. Players are meant to be participants in the gathering as well as witnesses to the competition.
Women’s and university competitions expand, with city events bringing players together
Fight of the Golden Spatula said it would continue upgrading competitions for different communities. Its women’s competition will bring in a leading fashion brand to celebrate the champion and work more closely with content platforms to help players reach wider audiences. The plan also includes custom in-game assets to mark the competitors’ achievements.
For university players, the game will launch a new esports brand called “Prismatic Academy.” The university esports organization will receive easier-to-use event tools and ecosystem incentives worth millions of yuan. The planned number of offline events will grow from 100 to 300. The investment is intended to bring competitions closer to students and help young fans create their own esports stages.
The game also plans to continue its “China, one city at a time” approach, taking esports from competition venues into city life. At the presentation, Huang thanked the Xi’an Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Qujiang New Area Bureau of Culture and Tourism for their guidance, and Qujiang Cultural Tourism Group for its support in bringing the event to Xi’an.
Future events are planned for Chengdu, Changsha, Shanghai and Shenzhen, among other cities, with competitions and player experiences tailored to each place. Fight of the Golden Spatula said it hopes matches will give players a reason to gather, while local culture gives each stop its own character.
PC edition planned for the next season, with cross-platform play
Alongside the esports plans, Ye Jing shared an update on the PC edition: “Fight of the Golden Spatula PC edition will meet you in the next, brand-new music-themed season!” Reservations officially opened that day.
The team said it had heard players ask for a better way to play on computers. The PC edition is being built specifically for computers while retaining the mobile version’s core gameplay and content, bringing familiar matches to a larger screen with more immersive audiovisual presentation and interaction.
Visually, character models and textures in combat have been upgraded, with PC-specific rendering intended to create more detailed materials. Higher-star characters will have animated visual effects that make them easier to distinguish on the board. Arena lighting and environments have also been adjusted to add depth and show board details more clearly.
The PC edition’s layout and keyboard-and-mouse interactions have been adapted to desktop habits, while retaining some mobile controls. Account data, matchmaking and friends will be shared with mobile, and players will be able to compete with friends across devices.
To mark the PC edition, the team will work with gold jewelry brand Chow Tai Seng to produce solid-gold “Golden Spatula” pendants. They will be offered through an in-game event during the PC edition’s testing period, with players able to enter for a chance to win one.
The event included a PC-edition test area where media and content creators tried the game and discussed their experience.
A new chapter begins as the Xi’an finals approach
At the end of the presentation, guests took the stage together to light the “winning-streak spatula” and open the new competitive year. The ceremony reflected the team’s stated commitment to building the player ecosystem through long-term investment and cooperation.
With the new plan announced, a new champion is next. The 2026 Fight of the Golden Spatula Open Championship autumn split national final is scheduled to begin in Xi’an on November 8. The release invited fans to watch the competition and join Fight of the Golden Spatula in the next chapter in 2027.
