CK Hutchison’s Three Group partners with Razer to focus on gamers, e-sports

Three Group, the mobile telecommunications division of Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison, and US gaming systems company Razer, have formed a global alliance to tap the estimated two billion people playing electronic games by offering them specific tariff plans, services and devices.

Through the strategic partnership with Razer, Three Group aspires to become the network of choice for this growing international community, Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong chief executive Cliff Woo Chiu-man said at the launch of the alliance on Monday.

San Francisco-based Razer estimates that 2.3 million of its registered users already reside within the international footprint of Three, which has mobile network operations in Austria, Britain, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Macau, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Vietnam.

This marks Razer’s first collaboration with a telecommunications network operator. Founded in 2005, Razer supplies high-performance gaming peripherals and laptop computers, and also operates gaming software platforms with more than 35 million users.

“We’re going to be working with Three on tariff plans and mobile devices specifically for gamers,” Razer co-founder and chief executive Tan Min-liang said in Hong Kong on Monday.

“Three will also be the official distributor of our virtual currency, zGold. Gamers everywhere can purchase digital items from Razer with zGold.”