Tag: Esports

Singapore – ONE Esports, the Singapore-based company catered in bringing the latest esports events and news across Asia, has partnered with tech giant Samsung to launch a ONE Esports mobile application, which will be positioned as the go-to source for esports news and content in Southeast Asia, and will be seamlessly integrated into the ONE Esports media ecosystem

This partnership with Samsung will see ONE Esports develop an exclusive ONE Esports mobile app for Samsung devices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, to be launched in the second half of 2022. In addition to having its content localized across each market, Samsung users will also enjoy exclusive videos and rewards produced by the ONE Esports team for the app. 

The app will be made available in the Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store for over-the-air download exclusively on Samsung mobile devices this year. 

For Carlos Alimurung, CEO at ONE Esports, the partnership will give the new generation of mobile-first consumers the best way to consume esports content, as the penetration of mobile usage and gaming across Southeast Asia continues to grow.

“I am proud to announce this partnership with Samsung that brings ONE Esports’ world-class esports content natively on mobile, in collaboration with Southeast Asia’s leader in mobile devices and experiences. Samsung clearly understands that brands need to connect and engage with the next generation to stay ahead of the curve, and mobile devices and esports are two of the most effective ways to reach them,” Alimurung said.

Meanwhile, Chris Tarr, head of mobile services and partnerships for Southeast Asia and Oceania at Samsung Electronics, commented that ONE Esports is uniquely positioned as Southeast Asia’s premier esports media organization, and their partnership sets the cornerstone for combining esports experiences with mobile gaming devices for their customers.

“Led by a young, digital, and global audience, esports is shaping up to be the future of sports, media, and entertainment. Through this unprecedented partnership with ONE Esports, we are excited to bring the galaxy of esports to Samsung mobile users, many of whom are passionate about esports and mobile gaming,” Tarr said.

Manila, Philippines – Influencer marketing agency in the Philippines, Gushcloud, has recently signed gamer, singer, and actor Chin Valdes to help him grow his digital presence and overall digital strategy. 

Currently, Valdes’ YouTube channel houses gameplay highlights of his two favorite games Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Genshin Impact. 

As part of the deal, Gushcloud will be working with Valdes to represent and manage key brand deals, and to provide channel management support. It will co-manage Valdes’ YouTube channel and explore a variety of content that would allow the viewers to get to know him beyond the gaming space. 

Chin shared that gaming, especially today, is so relatable and at the same time, influential. It has taught him that nothing ever gets easy, to keep moving forward, to continuously learn and level up, which has affected how he approaches things in real life. 

“I want to be able to share these with my viewers as we both enjoy our love for gaming,” said Chin.

Jamie Paraso, Gushcloud Philippines’ country director, noted that they constantly aim for a holistic evolution that brings out the different facets of their talents, as they come into their own in the entertainment industry. 

“Indeed, it is an honor to be part of their journey as their collaborative creative partner. We are beyond excited to have Chin Valdes onboard to unlock different paths beyond gaming and reach creative milestones together,” said Paraso.

Aside from Valdes, Gushcloud has also signed celebrity wedding videographer Jason Magbanua, gaming creator Yuka Kuroyanagi, as well as celebrities Bangs Garcia, Ciara Sotto, Bettinna Carlos, Michelle Madrigal, and Patrick Garcia, among others.

Tokyo, Japan – 2021 proved to be another year for Twitter where gaming-related content and discussion are tweeted globally, amounting to more than 2.4 billion tweets about it. And in this instance, Japan emerged as the country who tweeted the most about the topic for the period the latest data from Twitter itself shows.

Other Asian countries that also ranked in sending out the most tweets on gaming include South Korea (3rd), Thailand (4th), the Philippines (6th), Indonesia (7th), and India (10th).

In terms of which games were most tweeted globally, miHoYo-developed action role-playing game Genshin Impact ranked first, followed by first-person shooter game Apex Legends (2nd), and idol-training game Ensemble Stars! (3rd). Other popular games that ranked as well include social simulation game Animal Crossing: New Horizons (6th), sandbox game Minecraft (8th), and battle royale game Fortnite (10th).

Meanwhile, E3 remained the most-tweeted gaming event for 2021, followed by The Game Awards. In addition, Xbox’s Games Showcase ranked third, followed by Gamescom 2021 (4th), and Summer Game Fest 2021 (5th).

For Maurizio Barbieri, head of sports and gaming partnerships for SEA and Greater China at Twitter, the platform has all been about connecting people and brands to give them the latest updates for the industry through conversations that happen.

“As we continue adjusting to life in the middle of a pandemic, people are finding new ways to make connections with various communities, and one of them is through gaming. The growing conversations that happened around gaming on Twitter reflect the increasing attention from the public on Twitter about various games, esports teams, and gaming personalities,” Barbieri stated.

Twitter continues to move forward this year as they will be covering the latest esports tournaments such as Call of Duty League, ESL Pro League, Halo Championship Series, and Rocket League Championship Series.

“Gaming continues to be the area where people are making connections and finding new communities on Twitter. The diversity of the community on Twitter shows the high appeal of the gaming industry for everyone to follow, discuss, converse, and share,” the platform said in a press statement.

Jakarta, Indonesia – GOX, an Indonesian game streaming platform, has announced a partnership with Tencent Cloud, the cloud computing service of Chinese entertainment conglomerate Tencent, to bolster its live streaming and esports solution offering. GOX said this is part of their aim to become an integral part of the burgeoning entertainment market in Indonesia and Asia.

The four-year collaboration will allow GOX to leverage Tencent Cloud’s streaming service and content delivery network to offer low latency, seamless and stable gaming content to millions of viewers in Indonesia and Asia.

Jack Lontoh, founder at GOX, said that with their collaboration with Tencent Cloud, they are confident that they can accelerate the growth of GOX while maintaining the highest quality of streaming services.

“When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, the number of GOX active users has grown more than 16 times, benefitting from the social restriction, as more people started to go online. GOX has positioned itself to take advantage from the early wave of people turning to streaming as a full-time job. As the pandemic continues and the gaming industry further grows, GOX will solely focus on making streaming a ‘sexy’ occupation to have,” Lontoh said.

GOX will continue to look into deeper collaboration with Tencent Cloud in terms of more interactive platform features and gaming resource collaboration, to benefit both viewers and streamers.

Meanwhile, Poshu Yeung, senior vice president at Tencent Cloud International, commented, “Tencent Cloud highlights its commitment to address the ever-evolving demands of people around the world, and how global enterprises can cover all their needs. Through our collaboration with GOX, we look forward to empowering the local entertainment business, particularly in the field of e-sports and game live streaming, via our high-quality, high-performance, stable and secure technology.”

Singapore – Esports media company ONE Esports has shared in a press release that it is planning to launch an esports talk show by 2022, in partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s travel program.

Aside from the talk show, the partnership will also see Marriott Bonvoy focusing on expanding its reach to engage esports fans in Singapore and Malaysia via local Mobile Legends: Bang Bang community tournaments.

Aside from the global hotel brand, ONE Esports has also forged a tie-up with top insurance company FWD, to sponsor its Mobile Legends Professional League Invitational 2021 in Indonesia, where the top teams across SEA will compete to be the region’s best. 

Through this, the esports media company will also feature the insurance company on its website, as well as create custom content for the brands’ flagship app, FWD Moments.

ONE Esports has been bolstering its media collaborations. The said partnerships follow the company’s recent tie-up with top online food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda, to create a new multi-part docuseries on esports called ‘Heroes of the Game’, which tackles the ‘ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major’ event held in March this year.

Carlos Alimurung, ONE Esports’ CEO, noted that these partnerships will grow the esports ecosystem, and reaffirm ONE Esports’ commitment to scale esports globally with the world’s best brands. 

“We are thrilled to have these partners join us in our mission to share and celebrate the stories of esports heroes who ignite the world with strength, hope, dreams, and inspiration,” said Alimurung.

Meanwhile, Julie Purser, the VP of marketing, loyalty and partnerships at Marriott International APAC, shared, “Marriott Bonvoy has evolved from a rewards program to an immersive and inclusive travel program, and we look forward to collaborating with ONE Esports to bring our expression of good travel in both virtual and physical settings to gamers across the region.”

Manila, Philippines – Tier One Entertainment, the Philippine-based gaming and esports entertainment company, has announced its newest market foray, this time in Japan, where at the same time the company aims to debut its first-ever idol group to cater to the Japanese market, as well as to global fans.

Said market expansion is part of Tier One Entertainment’s strategic move when it signed an investment deal with its investors, KAYAC, a Japan-based internet firm, and Warner Music Group, a global media company that has a strong market presence in Japan.

Regarding the planned idol group launch, Tier One has stated that four multi-talented individuals are set to redefine what it means to be an influencer and content creator who challenges the status quo. The idol group will be a new breed of Tier One talents who will elevate the level of content creation to new heights, delighting fans across the globe.

Tryke Gutierrez, chief executive officer at Tier One, had already shared details of its first idol group member, multi-talented model, and cosplayer Harry ‘har_fie’ Field, during the company’s livestream event last 8 October.

The idol group, unofficially called ‘Project 4’, will have the rest of the members be revealed in a series of promotions that Tier One Entertainment will launch in the next couple of months.

For Gutierrez, said market expansion has been an exciting time for them and they can’t wait to see what they can do in Japan, citing Tokyo, the country’s capital, as the ‘mecca of geek culture’. He also shared that Japan has always been his second home and is a country that’s really close to his heart, from the perspective of having gaming, esports, anime and toys become more and more part of a gamer’s day-to-day life.

“Japan is a country with a long history both in gaming and innovation in multimedia. With over 57% of its population being gamers, there’s a big opportunity for us to grow our brand. Tier One is bringing our brand of entertainment to the Japanese gaming industry. Our goal is to gather a core team and build an initial roster of content creators that will elevate esports and video games in Japan in ways the country has never experienced before,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Tier One’s co-founder and popular cosplayer and gaming personality, commented, “Through Tier One I was able to further share my passion for video games. Now with our Japan expansion, I get to work closely with another one of my great loves: Japanese culture. Not only are we signing new talents for the Japanese market, but we’re also going to debut our idol group, which will be Tier One’s greatest expression of cutting-edge style to date. That makes me very excited.”

Moreover, the company also looks to find those who are willing to join its mission in bringing esports and gaming to the mainstream as it opens its office in Japan this year.

“We are thrilled that Tier One Entertainment is bringing the enormous momentum of the SEA gaming scene to Japan as its first foray outside its territory. Our collaboration will allow us to forge unique kinds of gaming entertainment to audiences in Japan and other key markets in Asia,” Daisuke Yanasawa, chief executive officer at KAYAC said.

Singapore – ONE Esports, the esports media company, has partnered with top online food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda, to create a new multi-part docuseries on esports called ‘Heroes of the Game’, which tackles the ‘ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major’ event held in March this year.

The new docuseries features exclusive never-before-seen footage, including behind-the-scenes strategies, victories, and secrets, as well as challenges that the esports heroes had to face during the tournament in the Dota 2 series. The two-part documentary follows three teams as they compete as the ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major, namely Evil Geniuses, Fnatic, and OB Neon.

Moreover, the viewers will be getting a behind-the-scenes look from inside the ‘bubble’ at the Fairmont Hotel in Singapore. It includes exclusive interviews with players, coaches, and industry veterans telling the story of the highs and lows of their journey through the tournament, which had a prize pool of US$500k. 

ONE Esports said that the Singapore Major is one of two majors that enables teams to qualify for The International, which will be held in Romania in October 2021 with a prize pool of over US$40m.

Carlos Alimurung, ONE Esports’ CEO, commented that they are delighted to continue their partnership with foodpanda, and they are not only immortalizing the iconic ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major in film through the docuseries but also giving viewers an inside look at what it takes to compete at the highest level of esports. 

“Ultimately, compelling storytelling is the key to opening esports up to a wider audience and enabling them to appreciate the diligence, uniqueness, and achievements of its athletes. Heroes of the Game is a perfect example of this effort to broaden the appeal of the sport,” said Alimurung.

Idan Haim, foodpanda’s vice president of growth and marketing, said, “We are thrilled to be teaming up with ONE Esports to connect with foodpanda users in the esports arena. As Asia’s largest food and grocery delivery platform, we are the go-to partner for gamers to refuel with their favorite food and snacks, delivered straight to their doorsteps.”

The docuseries has already been released on ONE Esports’ social channels including Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube, and will soon be premiering on regional broadcast channels including eGG Network, One Sports Philippines, PPTV HD36 Thailand, and Astro, as well as RTM Sports Malaysia, and Eleven Sports Taiwan.

Singapore – Continuing in its quest towards expanding its gaming & e-sports offerings, media and digital marketing communications company dentsu in Singapore remains the lead agency of the virtual motorsport competition TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) GT Cup Asia, now on its second consecutive year.

In partnership with automotive brand Toyota Motor Asia-Pacific and e-sports company ONE Esports, the TGR GT Cup Asia 2021 is the first recurring annual e-motorsports tournament that dentsu is launching from Singapore connecting racing and esport fans and gamers across seven Asian markets through a virtual studio, and hosted through the Japanese racing simulation game Gran Turismo.

Through its agency role, dentsu Singapore will deliver the finals of the regional esports tournament taking place on 16 October 2021, which will see 21 racers connecting from India, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Furthermore, the virtual races will be made possible through a server in Tokyo, Japan, working in sync with a virtual broadcast studio in Malaysia. Fans can expect a racing experience just as in any professional motorsports competition. Hosted by race coach and commentator, Alex Yoong, the fan experience will be further enhanced by an exciting pre-show as well as detailed race analysis and commentaries.

Prema Techinamurthi, senior business director for creative group at dentsu Singapore, commented that they are proud to once again partner with Toyota and ONE Esports to achieve never-before experiences in this year’s regional tournament.

“Our team was single-mindedly focused on elevating a brand experience that thoughtfully integrates a virtual racing and viewing platform like no other with inclusive opportunities to engage with and celebrate local communities. We are grateful for the unwavering trust and partnership from Toyota and ONE Esports in bringing this to life,” Techinamurthi stated.

As part of the tournament proper, Asia’s first race car livery design activation led by dentsu has unveiled custom culture-diverse race car designs by renowned local artists from seven participating markets who have taken their own flavor and flair of their local culture based on fan suggestions.

Dentsu said that it remains steadfast in expanding its gaming and esports offering as a key growth pillar, with a portfolio that includes work with Moonton and other international gaming publishers. More recently, dentsu has launched ‘dentsu gaming’, an integrated solution which brings together the extensive gaming heritage and expertise of the dentsu Japan network, with the global scale and specialist capabilities within dentsu international.

Dubai, UAE – Galaxy Racer (GXR), one of the fast-growing esports, gaming, and lifestyle organizations headquartered in Dubai, has announced the appointment of Romeo Misao as the head of marketing for India and South Asia. The announcement follows the organization’s spate of new hires globally including the recent signing of Galaxy Racer’s Chief Marketing Officer Allan Phang. 

For the new role, Misao will be leading the regional marketing initiatives for both GXR and Nigma Galaxy, the competitive esports division of GXR, and will have his focus on the company’s aggressive expansion plans across India and the South Asia region.

Misao was previously the first esports hire in India for Free Fire, the award-winning mobile Battle Royale game by the leading game’s publisher, Garena. He led and executed esports initiatives for Free Fire in India and Bangladesh as their esports project manager. 

He also spearheaded and launched the leading premium esports IPs in India that went on to be record-breaking such as the Free Fire India Championship Fall 2020 with 300,000 concurrent viewership and the Free Fire World Series, Singapore 2021 with 1.9 million concurrent viewership on local Hindi language streams.

Misao has also worked for award-winning brand BenQ-Zowie, where he drove gaming and esports projects and contributed to the success of the brand’s ranking as the top gaming monitor. 

Galaxy Racer, which was founded in 2019, currently has over 100 content creators across Middle East North Africa (MENA), and Southeast Asia (SEA). Nigma Galaxy, the merger between Team Nigma, champions of The International 7 Dota 2, and Galaxy Racer, will be leading the competitive esports team division with an impressive roster of twelve esports teams in Dota 2, League of Legends, CS:GO, and Fortnite, as well as PUBG Mobile, BGMI and Free Fire, with over 60 male and female esports athletes from over 20 countries.

CMO Phang commented, “Romeo’s vast marketing experience and deep knowledge of the Indian esports industry is vital as part of our strategic initiatives for India. His work is exceptional and I am looking forward to working together with him. As Galaxy Racer pushes forward with our aggressive expansion plans, having a leader of his caliber is important to spearhead our marketing campaigns. We look forward to having Romeo onboard with us. Welcome to our galaxy!”

Meanwhile, newly appointed Misao said, “I am excited to be working at Galaxy Racer, one of the fastest-growing esports, gaming, and lifestyle organizations globally. I look forward to working with Allan and my fellow colleagues as we look to partner with brands who are interested in targeting Gen Z and Millennials. I cannot wait to unleash the awesome marketing initiatives I have in store for the Indian market and to put Galaxy Racer, Nigma Galaxy, and India on the world map in the global esports industry.”

Galaxy Racer aims to create a 360-degree esports, gaming, content, and lifestyle brand. Its group company, Riva Technology and Entertainment (RTE), have secured a streak of acquisitions, partnerships, and brand licensing deals including the iconic comic book series publisher Dark Horse Comics, with RTE producing multiple mobile games based on the massively successful The Umbrella Academy comic books and Netflix series.

Alongside Misao, Galaxy Racer has also recently appointed Danny Lopez as chief content officer, who was formerly the director of brand and content at Guild Esports, an esports team co-owned by David Beckham.

Hong Kong – In retrospect to celebrating the game’s gameplay in China for a decade now, multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends has launched a new campaign alongside brand agency Superunion, which evokes memories of the game’s players in the country, who have been active now for a decade.

Called aptly as the ‘Annie-versary’ campaign, the title plays on one of the game’s well-known characters known as Annie, a child mage known to possess pyromantic abilities. Furthermore, the character has become of increasing importance to League of Legends players as a valuable and iconic champion.

Said campaign was developed using the insight from Riot Games that gamers love finding Easter eggs and the feeling of being truly part of a gaming community. It uses memes, secret words, and insider jokes, piecing them together to follow a protagonist’s 10-year gaming journey with League of Legends, sharing the wild ride with the gaming community.

Justin Kuo, head of creative, China Entertainment at Riot Games, said, ”Superunion has been the ideal partner for the campaign, as they truly understand the passion that our players have for our games and have helped us create a campaign that reflects the transformative power of being part of the gaming community.”

The film launched at the grand opening celebration event at Hangzhou Olympic Sport Centre and will be featured across all social media platforms and broadcast media.

Meanwhile, Maggie Chien, business director at Superunion China, commented, “It’s been an honor working with Riot Games China, with this particular project aligning perfectly with our creative revolution spirit. We worked as one global Superunion team to complete Riot’s 10th ‘Annie-versary’ film that integrates an impactful plot with top-notch visualizations, designed to evoke memories for all League of Legend gamers over the last 10 years.”